Flowers Don't Grow in the Desert
by ctj
Summary: Zelda and Ganon meet at a young age, and are raised side-by-side in Hyrule Castle. They eventually fall in love, but society is not ready to accept this strange union. Many obstacles stand in their way, including a rude aristocrat, a greedy desert queen, and a madman named Link who swears that he, Zelda, and Ganon all met in a past life... (post OoT)
1. The Thief

**_Note: I'm re-writing the first three chapters of FDG as a way of increasing the quality. They were written at the end of 2010; obviously, my writing style has transformed heavily since then. I'll also be taking the opportunity to do some cleanup in later chapters, removing a majority of the old author's notes and checking for proofreading errors. That being said, I might not catch all of them... but I'll try. To anyone who reads, thanks for your patience, and remember to leave a review! :)_**

**_-Colleentj_**

_Flowers Don't Grow in the Desert  
_Colleentj

The question initially posed was whether roses were the better option, because roses were deep and rich and folded out in a way that reminded Zelda of the folds in the velvet drapery, but then there were also lilies, which were elegant with little petals that sprung forth with a warm, sunny smile. Her father did love roses; he loved them because they were stately and gothic, and yet her mother preferred the lilies for the way they lit up the world. Sunshine flowers, she had called them. Pale eyes flicking back and forth between the two opposing flowerbeds, the princess finally decided that there was simply no sense in having to choose. And then, making sure that nobody was looking (they did hate it when she tampered with the landscaping) she picked three of each and curled them between her soft pink fingers.

The air was saturated with the sweetness that accompanied early spring. Trees blossomed against the azure backdrop of the morning sky, and the wind was crisp, chilly, the ground damp beneath the pads of the child princess' shoes as early blades of grass burst forth in pale green curls. She crossed the gardens and entered the castle through the servants' entrance—something that was habit, but that she had been instructed _not _to do many times—and found herself finally at the edge of the throne room. Hiding the flowers skillfully behind her back, the young princess took a deep breath and entered the wide, airy hall, reveling in the beauty of it all. The large stone chamber was filled with cream-colored sunlight, the drapes fluttering in the breeze that passed through the large, open windows.

She cantered forward carefully, coming to a halt just as she neared the head of the room. The king and queen of Hyrule sat here, backs arched against their ornate golden thrones, chins pressed up, four eyes peering down. They were garbed in gold and violet, their hair dark and astonishing in contrast to the gold that adorned them from head to toe. A commoner in a long violet coat was kneeling before the monarchs, reveling in their polite smiles and half-devoted attention.

"A mask shop, you say?" the king mused in response to an idea that must have been proposed.

"Yes; oh, yes, your Majesty!" the young man cried, his voice dripping with ecstasy in the presence of his idols.

The king leaned back slowly in his throne, one gloved hand coming into contact with his silken black beard. "I must admit, it sounds rather…"

"…Different," the queen cut in.

"But I have worked so long on these masks! Please, your Majesties, I must make a living!"

Another moment passed, and then the king nodded curtly. "Very well!" he said gruffly, sitting up straight once more. "That will do. I will have land cleared for your shop presently."

"Thank you! Oh, thank you, your Majesties!" The man was squealing with delight, and he scrambled forward to kiss the robes of Hyrule's leaders fervently. "Thank you, thank you…" he repeated, and exited the room blissfully.

Another moment passed before the queen noticed her daughter's recent apparition.

"Zelda, darling! Why, we haven't seen you all morning! And don't you look precious, dressed so delicately in white…" the queen fawned.

"Thank you, madam," Zelda said, giving a light curtsy just as she'd been trained.

"And where have _you _been?" the king now asked. There was certainly some sternness to his voice, but his tone was not unkind.

"I've been outside, sir, looking for—"

She was interrupted as the doors to the throne room crashed open and the sound of metal clanged from behind her. Whirling around, she caught sight of four guards in full armor racing towards her. The princess ducked out of the way as the company rushed past, panting for breath as they presented their trophy to the monarchs.

"Your Majesties," one of the armored guards said hastily, "we've caught a criminal!"

And with that, they shoved a boy forward, and this boy was the most peculiar boy that Zelda had ever seen. She caught a glimpse of fiery hair, matted down with sand and sweat, but it was all a blur as the boy went tumbling to the floor by the force of the guards. He let out a whimper as earth shook from underneath him, and then squinted his eyes shut, drawing his knees to his chest in pain.

Her heart stuttered in her chest… She could almost _swear _that she had seen this boy before…

But, no… he was dark-skinned! _A Gerudo_, Zelda thought to herself, and she recalled the legends she'd been told about the desert thieves, famed for their legerdemain and sly ways. She took a step back automatically, just as she'd been instructed to do in the face of possible danger.

Her gaze returned to her parents, who were eyeing the boy with identical arched brows.

"Would you please explain, Captain?" the queen began.

"He was stealing from civilians in the marketplace," the guard captain began. "We were lucky to get him, fast as his kind are, but the girl—she escaped."

"Girl?" repeated the queen, assuming a stony expression. "I see."

"What was the extent of this crime?" the king now asked, and there was the hint of a scowl on his face.

"He was robbing an old woman in Castle Town. Look, your Majesties, there she is!"

An old woman hobbled into the throne room accompanied by two soldiers. She was shouting all of the way up the aisle, and didn't even bother to bow as she neared the dual thrones, which Zelda recognized as being quite improper. (She didn't say anything, of course. Everybody knew that it wasn't a lady's place to speak up in situations like these.)

"Little rat, little rat!" the woman was crying, her shrill voice cracking with anger. "He took my jewelry and tossed it straight into the sewer, down, down…!" she pointed a knobby finger downward as if her point hadn't been made.

Now the king and queen's faces were drawn.

"Very well, then," the king finally said. "The boy will be kept in the castle until he has served a decent penance for his treachery."

The boy glanced up through his dirty red bangs, straggling to his feet with a huff and furrowing his brow in anger. "My _name _is _Ganon_," he grunted. The king's face twisted with the hint of rage.

"Quiet, _boy_," he warned, and Zelda was thoroughly confused. Why was her father being so cruel?

"I _said, _my name is GANON!" the boy cried once more, and as his voice rang across the hall, the king jumped to his feet.

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE, YOU GYPSY!" he shouted in retaliation, and a hush fell over the entire company. Even Zelda could only stare, lips hanging agape in shock.

_Gypsy! _What a terrible word! Even _she _knew that it was a slur, and a bad one, too. It was a racist word for the Gerudo. Malon had tricked Zelda into saying it to Impa, and the poor princess had been punished with a swift slap to the rear and an early bedtime. But to hear the word exit her father's mouth was a shock that made her stomach turn; why would he do this? Ganon was in pain already… why worsen the burden with the weight of his words? Zelda's grasp on the flowers loosened; originally she had intended them to be a gift to her parents. But they were misbehaving, and Zelda knew better than to reward insolence.

"That necklace," the old hag cut in, "was a gift from my _late husband_. The nicest gift I ever got! And now it's _gone!_"

The king raised an eyebrow. "What have you got to say to _that_, boy?!"

Wordlessly, Ganon sucked in his cheeks. Zelda gaped in horror, already knowing (and dreading) what was going to happen next.

And then it happened as a giant wad of spit escaped Ganon's mouth and catapulted on the hem of the king's robes. The king leapt forth, face red-hot and boiling with rage. His hand shook free of the confines of his robes, and in a terrifying flash, the rough palm of his aged hand slapped _hard _against Ganon's cheek. The boy collapsed once more to the ground and gave one long, heavy sob, and then bit his lip to fight back the tears. He rolled weakly onto his side and didn't move after that, although he shook just the slightest bit.

"Escort him to the East Wing immediately," the king said harshly, ascending the platform and sitting back on his cushioned throne. When there was nothing, his eyes widened. "Now!" he ordered, and the soldiers scrambled for order, heaving the boy off of the ground and dragging him away as he thrashed and shouted in their arms.

Zelda's eyes widened as she watched him go, and just before he turned the corner, their eyes met briefly for a second, and in those eyes she saw a hopelessness that pervaded beyond anything she'd ever seen, and her heart flooded with sympathy.

Her parents' protests were but echoes in her ears as her feet moved from under her and she dashed after the boy. He continued to kick and scream as the soldiers carried him down a long, windowless corridor, turning a corner, lighting a torch, and then throwing the boy into a pitch-black chamber before bolting the heavy wooden door behind him. Zelda pressed up against the corner, trying to catch her breath and remain unseen as the soldiers shuffled past. Once they'd gone, she crept quietly into the abandoned hallway, her stomach clenching. She'd only been in the East Wing once or twice; it was as dark as midnight here, and as cold as it too, and she and Malon had often dared each other to enter the wing in the dead of night. _Haunted, probably, _they had joked. Except it hadn't been a joke, and Zelda's heart raced in her chest as she followed the faintness of the torchlight and found the room that Ganon had been locked inside.

There was a candelabra on a hook on the wall and she removed it gingerly, igniting it in the flames of the torch and then reaching for the dusty key that was always kept on the top edge of the doorframe. Her soft fingers scraped against the cold metal and she entered it into the keyhole tentatively, the lock clicking faintly as it gave way. The door swung slightly open.

She peered through the crack in the door. She could faintly make out Ganon's weeping silhouette in the candlelight. Stepping forward experimentally, she let the door click shut behind her, and that was when he noticed her.

Ganon glanced up and his sobs were caught in his throat. He took a long, shaky breath, eyes wide as he drank her in.

She was an angel, surely, an angel. He'd heard of them from the merchants that sometimes passed through the valley. Angels were beautiful and pure, and they glowed with an ethereal radiance that was soft yet brilliant. Like an angel, Zelda was garbed all in white, from the wreath of flowers in her hair to the pearls across her collar to the long, silken skirt that pooled around her feet. _Surely _she was an angel, warm and kind in spirit, here to take him away. Here to take him to the heavens.

And _surely_, Zelda thought, glancing now at the boy, _surely _he was a rebel. She'd heard of them from the storybooks in her father's library, the storybooks that had taken her out of castle walls where she otherwise would never have been allowed. This boy was an adventurer and a pirate and a rebel, somebody that fought the current and left a blazing trail behind him. Like a rebel, Ganon had fought against her father's injustices with his words and his scowls. _Surely _he was a rebel, bold and brash in spirit, here to take her away. Here to take her on an adventure.

"Hello," she said, and she was slightly breathless as she admired the dirty, ragged boy before her. "I'm Princess Zelda, and I'm seven years old." She paused. "…Are you okay?"

"I…" he lowered his eyes. "I am now," he answered, a blush crawling up his neck. She really _was_ very pretty.

A pleasant smile crossed her rose-colored cheeks, and she placed the candelabra in front of her as she sat down. She smoothed out her skirt and placed that morning's flowers in her lap, reaching her palms across the threshold and grabbing hold of Ganon's. They were grimy, and she could feel the sweat and dirt rub off on her own fingers, but she didn't mind. She clutched his hot hands in her own and squeezed gently.

"I wish you would stop crying."

"I'm not crying," he countered, sniffing in spite of himself.

"You don't have to lie," Zelda continued. "Was it my father?"

"No."

"Yes it was."

"All right, yes, it was," Ganon answered, raising his face to meet hers. "Look at what he did to me."

In the candlelight, Zelda could just make out a web of cracked skin, beads of blood seeping onto the surface.

"Oh, Ganon…" she whispered, her face falling as she reached up and brushed a patch of the tender skin. He closed his eyes at her cool touch.

"It… hurt," he stated bluntly.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. She traced a final bit of skin and then pulled away, breaking contact with Ganon completely as she returned to her spot across from him. "You mustn't let my father upset you. He may be stern, but he's really kind deep down inside. Sometimes he banishes me to my room for days at a time when I'm naughty, and the door only opens when I'm being served food, but it's always good and delicious food, and he sends peppermints and chocolates with the tray, and if I ask for tea it's always sent to me with a little spoon that is perfectly my size and is always shined first. He pretends to be mean, but he really isn't."

A faint smile had appeared on Ganon's face, but it vanished after only a moment. "But… my sister…"

"You mean the girl that the guards were talking about?" Zelda asked.

"Yes," Ganon answered. "Her name's Nabooru… she's bitter and funny and she's my rival. We're both in line for the throne—"

"Of Gerudo Valley?!" asked Zelda suddenly, perking up.

Ganon's blush reappeared. "…Well, yes. We were trying to see who could steal the best item from the marketplace and then bring it back home on the next caravan."

"Caravan?"

"We travel in groups," he continued. "My people won't be happy when they notice I've disappeared. I'm the only boy. And I'm a prince, because only one boy is born every hundred years, which was nine years ago for me, and he's always in line to be king. Except if he has the same parents as another girl, then the girl can fight for the rights to the throne. It's… well, it's complicated."

Zelda plopped back on her palms. "Girls can't be in charge in Hyrule," she lamented, tilting her chin downward as she stared into the flame before her. "Mother is always saying that only a boy can take over Hyrule Castle. That's why Mother and Father tried so very hard to have a son, but they could only have me, and now all they ever do is train me to be proper so that they can marry me off someday. I find it very unfair, as I think I would like to play with other children for once."

Ganon's eyes narrowed. "Have you _ever _played? _Anything?_"

Zelda was quiet. "Once or twice."

A moment passed, and then Ganon said, staring furiously at the tiled floor, "_I'll _play with you, if you'd like."

The princess smiled to herself. "I would like that very much."

After another second of silence, Ganon reluctantly withdrew something from his pocket. Zelda's eyes widened.

"Is that the necklace you stole?!"

"…Yes…"

"I thought you threw it down the sewer!" she cried in astonishment, cradling the outstretched amethyst in her palms. It really was very pretty.

"It was only a magic trick," Ganon explained. "Every thief knows how to conceal things without anyone noticing. The only reason she noticed the necklace was gone was because I stole it right off of her collar. Would've gotten away with it, too, if the guards hadn't seen me."

Zelda giggled against her will. "Are you going to give it back?"

"What—no!" Ganon cried. "It's too pretty. Nabooru liked it, that's why I took it. But… I won't be seeing her again, so…" He bit his lip. "Well, Princess… would you like it?"

The girl's ice-blue eyes widened for a second, and then her face split into a grin as she leaned forward. "Okay, then," she said, and held still. Ganon just looked at her.

"What?"

"Go ahead and fasten it around my neck!" Zelda prodded. Now _Ganon's _eyes went wide, and he fought back a blush as he reached forward and clasped the gold chain around the princess, his wrists brushing the cool, soft skin of her neck and shoulders. He stayed like that for a second, and then he pulled away quickly, trying to ignore the curious look that Zelda was giving him.

She reached to the side suddenly and scooped up the six flowers that she'd picked that morning, holding them out in front of her.

"Here you are," she said. "I want you to have them. They were for my parents, but…"

Ganon took the flowers into his hands delicately, twirling them in the candlelight and admiring one white flower in particular.

"Lilies are my favorite thing about Hyrule," he mused, and then glanced at Zelda as earnestly as he ever would. "Flowers don't grow in the desert."

For a second, she just stared blankly. And then she smiled, smiled with a raw, sheer radiance that rivaled that of the desert sun, and clasped her arms around his neck. She was lightly perfumed, and Ganon closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, wrapping his arms around her cool, soft torso, and grinning into her shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she whispered as a bell tolled somewhere, signaling noon in Hyrule Castle.

"Okay," Ganon answered, and she pulled away, flicking her feathery blond hair from her shoulder and getting to her feet.

"And I promise I'll get you out of this room. I'll show you the courtyard—it's full of flowers! Roses and lilies and peonies and poppies and violets—oh, you'll love them all," the princess rambled, brushing off her silken skirt and crossing towards the door. She paused as her hand was on the doorknob.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Prince Ganon of Gerudo Valley."

"And it's wonderful to meet you, too, Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

"Please," she said with a smile, halfway out the door before peering around the edge, "call me just Zelda."

"All right," said Ganon, and he could only admire her as she stood there, young and pretty like a flower herself, blond hair draped over one shoulder, pale eyes scrutinizing him from under the slanted, elegant brow, one white limb extended out, draped against the wooden door, fingers fresh and pink and slightly curled, slightly curled like her smile, which was pink and curious and continued straight up into her eyes.

"Just Zelda," he concluded quietly as the door clicked shut behind the princess. He didn't know why he felt like he'd known her for a thousand years; maybe it was her personality, or maybe it was something much deeper.

_Perhaps I knew her in another life_, he mused to himself. Little did he know that, outside in the corridor, Zelda was thinking the exact same thing.

_It's like I knew him before I ever laid eyes on him_, she thought as she freed herself of the dark corridor and entered the bright, golden entrance hall. _And yet, _the girl continued in her mind, _for all I know, maybe I did._

It was a joke; a small joke, one that she'd made to herself, and yet the thought was there, and it would linger there for awhile. Because what if they _had _met before? Nay, impossible, and with that, she shook the thought from her mind and found her way to one of the ornate arched windows that framed the entrance hall. She rested her hand on the windowsill and peered out at the wildflowers that grew in the front field, flowers that were stretching toward the rays of the sun in what was a whole-hearted attempt to flourish.

She smiled inwardly and bowed her head. _If flowers don't grow in the desert, _she thought to herself, _then I shall water and nurture and raise the growing seed until it is in full bloom._

And, satisfied with this thought, she turned on her heel and ventured onward, completely unaware of what "full bloom" would come to be.


	2. The Castle

"My father will have you for supper tonight."

Ganondorf's head snapped up at the sound of Zelda's voice. She was standing in the doorway with a smile on her face, her hands folded neatly behind her back.

It was the morning of the next day, and Ganon hadn't spoken to her since their first meeting.

"What?" he asked, a little dumbfounded. He hadn't even heard the door open. Was he hallucinating?"

"You are invited to dine with us this evening."

No, she was definitely real.

"Oh—okay, yeah."

She raised her eyebrows. "So you will come, then?"

"Yeah."

Zelda jumped up and down and clapped. "Hooray!" she exclaimed.

"How did you do it?" asked Ganon, still in awe.

"Well, I waited for my father to calm down, and then for desert I made him his favorite pudding. And I sat beside him as he ate it until he was so happy he was laughing at everything. And then I asked him to give you another chance."

"And he said yes?"

"Actually, he said no. So then I made sure his favorite silk pajamas were clean, and I heated up his bathwater myself so he could have a nice warm bath. And I set his favorite book beside the tub as well. And this morning I sent him breakfast in bed with his cinnamon coffee, and he told me he'd changed his mind!"

"Wow."

"Indeed!" She jumped up onto the cheap bed in Ganon's room and crossed her legs. "So, what are you up to?"

"Nothing much, just drawing a bit."

Zelda bent over to the open section of the white sheets that were lit up by the candle. On it was a faint drawing of the lily she'd given him the day before. It was very, very well done…

"You're an artist!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up.

"A little, yes," Ganon answered.

"You ruined the sheets, but this is just brilliant? How did you do it?"

"Well, I carry a pen and ink around with me if I can."

"Can you draw people?" asked Zelda.

"Of course."

"Can you draw _me_?"

"Um…" Ganon blushed. "Actually, I already have."  
Zelda grinned so widely that Ganon thought there wouldn't be enough room on her face for it. But no, it fit, and she had a dimple. Two dimples, in fact. Perfectly symmetrical on either side of her mouth. On a flawless face.

Her bright hair was pulled back into a cheerful orange bow, and she had a simple dress to match. What was a good word for her?

Happy?

Too simple.

Remarkable?

Too complex.

Just right?

Just right.

She was just right.

"So? Where is it?"

Ganon blushed even harder and flipped over his pillow to reveal a spot-on portrait of the princess herself.

"You drew this from memory?" she asked.

Ganon nodded and stared at the floor furiously.

"Splendid!" she exclaimed. "May I keep it?"

"No," said Ganon. When Zelda pouted, he said, "I mean, not yet—I want to do another portrait of you… do you have any supplies?"

"I'll find out later," said Zelda. "Let's wait for supper… I'll be expecting to see you to eat around 5:30. Is that all right?"

"That's perfect," Ganon said, a bit dumbfounded.

…How did you eat in front of a princess?

….

Impa seemed quite ready to answer that question when she knocked down the door around 3:00 in the afternoon. Ganon was a little shocked at first because she seemed so headstrong, but he remembered later that women were just like that back home, too.

Without much exchange of words, she pulled him out into the heart of the castle, where Ganon had to squint from the unexpected return of bright light. It was a bustling place during the day—open and airy, with people shuffling here and there from the entrance hall to the dining room to the ballroom itself. It reminded him of the marketplace, except most people here were clean cut and more respectable.

"The king and queen," said Impa, "have requested that you are given a new room. This way."

She had to drag him, for he was standing around trying to take everything in. It was all so… _alive_.

"What about my stuff?" asked Ganon.

"You can retrieve it later," Impa informed him. They turned a corner into a broad hallway where a stout man in a manacle was inspecting a portrait of an old nobleman. He turned and grinned when he saw Impa approaching with Ganon.

"Ahh, this is it, eh? The little gypsy King Harkinian was talking about, huh…"

"The very same," Impa replied, her face a little stiff. She, like Ganon, had been insulted by the man's remark.

"Dapper!" the man exclaimed. He reached out to shake Ganon's hand, but then, seeing the state of the boy, thought better of it and pulled his silk-gloved hand away.

"I'm Mr. Chilcott. I assume you've heard of my son, Robin?"

Ganon shook his head in confusion.

"Ah, you haven't? How silly, he was here yesterday playing with the princess!"

Ganon didn't like Mr. Chilcott. And he did _not _like Robin.

"He and little Zelda are quite close! Why, he's been practicing for the throne since he was just in diapers!"

"Mr. Chilcott, we really must be going," said Impa, trying to break away from the outgoing man.

And with that, she swept Ganon down the hall and into a new, spacious room. Great mahogany beams met in the center of the circular ceiling, and an entire wall seemed to be made of stained glass. It was light, and there was a desk for writing and a bureau to store clothes and the bed could fit fifteen Ganons with room to spare.

"Woah."

"It is quaint, isn't it?" said Impa. "A bit on the simple side, but it will do."

The _simple _side?

"Anyhow, we're running out of time. We must get you ready for supper!"

There was a tub in the corner that was already filled with mild water. A few male servants came into the room and scrubbed Ganon until his skin was raw and red. They went through his hair with different scents and when he had finally been pulled out of the bath the water was freezing cold. He was next dressed into what had to be four or five layers of undergarments alone, and a golden vest, some navy blue trousers, and a tailcoat to match. Intricate white boots were placed on his feet.

Next was the makeup. Oils and powders perfected his already handsome countenance until it was a smooth, pleasant plain.

Finally, the servants moved to do his hair.

"You have quite a bit of it, don't you?" asked one girl. "Should we trim it all off?"

Ganon's eyes widened. "No!"

"All right then. Here, let's try this…"

She took Ganon's long hair and tied it back in a ribbon.

"Yes?" she asked when it was finished.

Ganon nodded thankfully. "It's perfect."

Impa came into the room a few minutes later and looked him over. There was a second where she didn't say anything, and then she nodded once. The servants left the chamber, and it was Impa and Ganon alone.

"You have another forty five minutes before it is time for supper," she said. "What do you know of etiquette?"

"A bit," said Ganon. "I was—I mean, _am _a prince. But manners were never really stressed in my home."

"Ahh, that's right, you were royalty, weren't you, lad? But were you raised in a palace with important guests and such?"

"No, no," said Ganon. "I lived just like anyone else, really. Maybe the house was a little bigger, but the only real difference was that I was supposed to make the decisions."

Impa smiled. "Then you've never been to supper at a castle."

"Not at all."

"Well then," said Impa, "Here's what to expect—the dining hall is _enormous, _and the table is long and thin. At the head of the table is one chair, that's where the king sits. On his right hand side, that's where the queen sits. If there is a guest of honor, he will sit on the king's left hand side. Normally, if there was a prince, he would sit on his mother's right hand side, but since there is none, Princess Zelda will sit there.

In all, there are sixteen chairs. Although, there won't be many of you at the table."

"Is there a guest of honor?"

"There usually is."

"Who?"

Impa shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. Now, I must go tend to Princess Zelda- she has been getting ready for dinner for quite awhile now. Sit tight, and wait for the bell to ring. Oh, and one more thing—_don't screw up_."

…

With these encouraging words to work from, Ganon made his way down to the dining hall at quarter after five. The hall was its own cathedral, with braided wooden beams every few meters apart and spiraling up to meet in the center of the ceiling. The walls were blue and gold and cluttered with portraits, the windows broad and arched… but, just like Ganon's room, was probably on the 'simple' side. The table was empty, but there were some servants preparing it. There were three different sets of silverware at each setting, two glasses for each, two bowls, and one large plate.

"Welcome, Master Ganon. Would you care to take a seat?"

Ganon nodded and looked around a bit awkwardly. Which end did the king sit at? Well, the highly structured, involved throne at one end seemed to answer that question. And two the left of it were two place settings, indicating that there was one guest of honor, and to this guest's left would be Ganon himself. There were two place settings opposite these as well, which placed Zelda directly across from Ganon.

That actually seemed like a good arrangement.

He sat down in the chair quietly and stayed like that for a moment, but it wasn't long before the double doors were propped open to reveal a spiraling staircase where the real royalty would enter from. The king and queen showed up in just a few seconds, their arms linked at the elbows. They were dressed in clothing unlike anything Ganon had ever seen- golden plaits donned their wastes and shoulders, the queen's hair was high in a bun, and both wore fiery crimson cloth. Servants helped them into their chairs, and they, too, sat in silence.

After a minute or two, the door that Ganon had entered through opened and in walked the guest of honor.

And Ganon wanted to bang his head into the table right then and there.

Because it was Mr. Chilcott. He entered the room proudly and took his seat next to Ganon. Conversation started up between the king, queen, and visitor.

"Why is _he _the guest of honor?" Ganon whispered out loud.

"He comes about once a week for supper," Impa replied, and Ganon jumped out of his seat.

"How'd you get over here?" cried Ganon. He swore he'd had no idea she was even close.

"Get used to it, boy. It's going to happen a lot." She patted him on the shoulder.

"But how—"

Ganon sighed.

She was gone.

Just as he was admiring the Hylian inscription on the nearest candelabra, the double doors opened again to reveal the last attendant to the supper.

It was Zelda.

She was dressed from head to toe in lace. A lace veil was attached to the back of her curly blond bun, and then she had what appeared to be a doily around her collar, and a long train of lace trailed off from the back of her dress.

"She looks too casual," scoffed the king. "You'd think she'd have dressed in something a little less simple."

Ganon rolled his eyes. He was dying to know what fancy was.

Zelda took her place at the table and remained standing; all men at the table stood, and Ganon himself was yanked up by Chilcott.

"Gentlemen," Zelda greeted. She nodded once, and they all sat back down.

She locked eyes with Ganon and smiled.

The supper began. The queen spoke with Chilcott the most. About politics, about the food, the best liquors and the best people. The conversation never really stopped. Ganon admired how they danced from one topic to another, and how every now and then the queen whisked a stray lock of hair out of her face just like Zelda did whenever she talked…

He pulled out of his trance. He'd known Zelda for little over a day… she looked to be about 7, and Ganon figured that in Hylian years he was probably 9 or so. The Gerudo didn't age particularly the same as the Hylians, and they always appeared older no matter what. It was the harsh training and the hostile environment that had toughened the Gerudo up, and that was what defined them.

They were strength, and they were confidence.

And Chilcott had money.

That was what defined him—his money. He was known because, in a materialistic world like Hyrule Proper, he had the most of something. And this something was money—little glass prisms called rupees that, in theory, were just worthless glass.

He was respected and looked up to because he had the most worthless glass.

It was disgusting.

The meal had consisted of eight entire courses, and once it was finished, the company was invited into the drawing room for some light conversation.

Before Ganon could follow anybody into any room, he felt Zelda take grasp of his hand and pull him away to a different door. They opened up onto a wide balcony with a bench. The stars glistened overhead, and the sound of the Zora's River was enough to be a lullaby.

Zelda shut the door and walked over to the bench, which she used to climb on top of the railing. If she fell, she would topple right into the river.

"What are we doing out here?" asked Ganon, admiring the stars. He could take a handful if he wanted.

"Better than in there," chuckled Zelda. "They're boring. They just read and play cards. I like it out here. It's nice and chilly."

Ganon smiled and climbed up next to her.

"I still want you to do a portrait of me," she pestered.

"I'd love to," he said. "I'll use watercolors."

They fell into a comfortable silence.

Zelda yawned and began to sway back and forth.

"Don't fall off," cautioned Ganon.

"I won't."

Ganon smiled at her promise and shuffled closer to her.

"Say, Ganon?"

"Yeah, Zelda?"

"I know that Mr. Chilcott doesn't like you, but you mustn't let it bother you. He doesn't like anybody."

"Not even you, Zel?"

"Not even me." She yawned. "Say, could you call me that all the time?"

"What?"

"Zel."  
"Of course."

Zelda giggled and snuggled in to lean on Ganon.

"You smell good."

"…thank you?"

Zelda continued swaying back and forth.

"All right… c'mon, onto the bench."

He set his feet back on the ground and settled Zelda down on the bench, where she curled up and hugged her knees, her eyes shut.

"I could sleep here," she said. "It's perfect here. Good night, Ganon."

"Good night, Zel."


	3. Zelda's Heart

Zelda awoke the next morning to the sound of birds perched on the windowsill. The sunlight and the sweet warbler's nest on the window ledge was obviously an omen of a beautiful day. She didn't want to get out of bed yet; the sheets were so soft and cool, and she liked how the translucent drapes tickled her nose in the gentle breeze.

She giggled and watched the warbler bounce around for a few minutes before realizing that something wasn't right.

She didn't remember crawling into bed. In fact, the most recent memory of hers was being with Ganon, and she had been falling asleep on the balcony.

That meant that somebody had brought her here.

She sat up quickly to realize that she had been changed into a nightgown and must have been tucked into bed while she was still asleep.

The door creaked open.

"I see you're awake, Princess."

It was Impa, looking sharp as usual with a small tray of water and bread for Zelda.

"Yes… thank you, Impa," she said as the tray was set on the bed in front of her. She crossed her legs and went for the bread. This was a usual tradition- Impa would bring her bread and water in the morning right when she woke up, and breakfast was delayed until around eleven o' clock. Supper took place later in the afternoon, but tea was in the middle of breakfast and supper which satisfied the stomach for long enough.

"I found you out asleep on the balcony," said Impa, filling a small tub with water and bubbles for the usual morning scrub. "I don't know how you managed to fall asleep on such a firm bench."

_I didn't_, thought Zelda. _I fell asleep on Ganon's shoulder._

She thought it would sound silly to say that, though, so she merely nodded and finished down the rest of the bread.

"Drink your water," said Impa, not even needing to turn around to see that Zelda had ignored it. Zelda always ignored it, and Impa had to remind her every morning.

"But I hate the water," said Zelda. "It doesn't even belong to me. It belongs to the Zora and the other fish."

"Drink the water anyway."

"_Fine_," groaned Zelda, rolling her eyes. She downed the water in one prolonged gulp.

"I hear Mr. Talon is delivering milk today and staying for dinner," Impa said, shuffling through the wardrobe for a dress.

"Is Malon coming?" asked the princess, bouncing up and down on her knees.

"I believe that everybody is coming from the ranch. Talon, Ingo, and, yes, Malon should be here."

"Hurray!" Zelda exclaimed, hopping out of bed and sidling up to Impa. "What am I wearing today?"

"How about this?" asked Impa, retrieving a plain pink dress.

"Yes, of course!" she said, jumping up and down. Impa stopped the jumping by putting her hands on Zelda's shoulders and keeping her feet on the floor.

"Remain calm," Impa reminded her. Zelda was washed and dressed, and as Impa was brushing her hair she said, "Have you seen Ganon this morning?"

"Actually, yes," said Impa. "He was up at 5 this morning. He's already dressed, but he won't come out of his room. He wants you to meet him there."

Zelda was out of her chair in seconds and, despite Impa's protests, started bounding down the hall. She realized suddenly that she didn't know where Ganon's room was. She decided that she would simply have to try every room in the castle. First, she tried all ten guest rooms. But Ganon didn't appear. Next, she tried the five rooms where relatives stayed. Ganon was nowhere to be found. She was notified that he didn't inhabit any of the fifty knight's rooms, and was growing desperate when she suddenly wondered if he was staying in the tower with the library. There was a room up there made up mostly of stained glass. It seemed a funny place to keep a visitor.

Nevertheless, the young princess ascended the Northwest tower, passed the library, and came to a halt before an arched door at the far end of the corridor. She knocked gingerly, waiting for a reply.

"Lady Impa?" came the voice from inside. "Is that you again?"

Zelda opened the door and poked her head inside. "Nope, it's me, Zelda."

Ganon glanced up from the writing desk and grinned. "Good morning." He was apparently writing a letter, as he folded up the paper on the desk and rested the quill into the bottle of ink. He spun around in the chair and looked silently at Zelda. "Well?"

"Well, nothing," answered Zelda. "I thought I should come and greet you this morning. I also have to tell you something." She rocked back and forth on her heels.

"What is it?" asked Ganon.

"Well, the thing is, I still haven't shown you the courtyards! You said you like flowers. Maybe you should see all of Castle Town. It's wonderful."

Ganon stood up. He was dressed in a black tunic today, and Zelda thought the color suited him nicely. She wondered suddenly if his hair, which was tied back loosely in a ribbon, was longer than hers, and whether it was brighter than Malon's. Which reminded her— "My friend Malon is coming today," she told Ganon.

"Is he from the Market?"

Zelda giggled. "Actually, Malon's a girl. Her name just sounds like a boy's name because she was named after her father. Well, and her mother. Her mother's name was Mara, her dad's name is Talon. So her name's Malon. Like a boy's name. Kind of like—"

"I get it," Ganon cut in. "That's interesting. I'd like to meet her, I guess."

"Anyway, let's go. You can come, right? Do you have to do anything first?"

"No," answered Ganon. Are we going to the courtyard first? Or the Market?"

"The courtyard, of course," Zelda answered, taking Ganon's hand and pulling him towards the door.

Ganon decided that he liked Zelda.

A lot.

…..

Ganon was a fan of the courtyard. He liked the flowers and the little window looking into the throne room. Zelda wasn't supposed to be outside this morning—her mother had wanted her to write a letter to her cousin from Labrynna. So Zelda and Ganon had a fun time sneaking past the guards to get out of the castle on their way to the market.

They drew a lot of attention in Castle Town. Zelda was the princess, so she naturally turned heads, and passerby gawked shamelessly at Ganon's dark skin, teasing him for even being near Her Royal Highness. Ganon took it all without the blink of an eye. Land was being cleared at the time for the "Happy Mask" shop. A crew of carpenters worked on and off, growing quickly tired and resting more than they worked.

"Want to do something fun?" asked Ganon, a devilish gleam in his eye.

"Okay," replied Zelda. "But what are we doing?"

"Watch," answered Ganon softly, and so swiftly that it was hard to keep track of, Ganon stepped up to the work site and pocketed a single red screw.

"Now, follow me," he whispered, and the two walked to the other end of town. They passed the couple dancing by the fountain and towards the laughing twins at the entrance of town. The twins looked perfectly alike—a god could not tell them apart if not for the different colored shirts. One twin dressed in red, the other in blue. Ganon asked them what was so funny, encouraging an encore of spasms of laughter from the two identical men. In the confusion of the moment, Ganon dropped the screw from the worksite into the pocket of the man in the blue shirt, walking away calmly.

Zelda took note of all of this with enthusiasm. She trotted behind Ganon to a stall selling jewelry. The pair blended in with the busy customers, but Ganon kept a keen eye on the carpenters. It took over ten minutes before Ganon's face split into a triumphant smirk, and he pointed in the direction of the work site. The builders were running about frantically, and as Zelda and Ganon moved closer, she could catch wind of the conversation.

"…lost a screw!" cried one carpenter. "Boss told us not to lose a thing!"

"Oh, boy, he's gonna have a cow!" exclaimed another. "How did we even lose that red screw? That was for the roof! We need it to keep the balance, o'erwise the boss will kill us! Did you look everywhere?"

"Yes!"

"You sure?"

"You can bet I'm sure. I think someone stole it."

"Damn it," muttered the second carpenter under his breath. The laughing twins approached the site, obviously entertained by the hassle.

"Hahaha!" cried one twin. "He lost a screw! You know what I think? I think he's got a screw loose in his brain!"

"No doubt!" howled the other twin. "Somebody's been screwing with his mind!"

The first twin hooted even louder, laughing and smacking his knee as he tried to gain control of himself.

The second twin sighed as his laughter ceased. "You really screwed up, man," he muttered. There was a pause of complete silence, and then the two were at it again. They roared in laughter, leaning on one another for support as they gasped for air.

The carpenters looked angry beyond belief. They glared daggers at the laughing men, swearing to saw them apart. One carpenter looked about to blow when Ganon stepped in valiantly.

"Gentlemen," he said with composure, "it seems that you have been the victim of senseless tomfoolery and rather impressive legerdemain." He coolly pulled the red screw from the twin's pocket where he had dropped it earlier.

Ganon held out the screw with an expression of utter disbelief. "This man in the blue shirt stole your screw. I caught sight of it while passing through to browse jewelry with Her Royal Highness."

Zelda stepped into view, at which the carpenters filed in to a line and stood ramrod straight.

"Your Highness!" they yelled, placing their hands over their chests.

"At ease," she said, and at once the carpenters resumed their normal positions.

"But I didn't steal it!" cried the blue shirted twin, his smile gone from his face.

"You're a terrible liar," accused Ganon."How dare you steal a screw and then laugh about it? You should be ashamed of yourself."

"But I _didn't steal—"_

"Princess Zelda?" cut in Ganon. "I think you can take it from here."

"But, Your Highness, I didn't—"

"Excuse me," said Zelda, playing right along, "but if you didn't steal it, then how did it end up in your pocket?"

"I… but I didn't… well, darn it, that's an excellent point!" answered the twin in the blue shirt.

"My thoughts exactly," muttered Ganondorf, shaking his head.

"I really should turn you over to the guards for this," said Zelda. "We all know that thievery is not permitted in Hyrule. The Royal family works day and night to keep our subjects safe from Gerudo thieves. To think that all of that hard work goes to waste is just insulting!

"I won't turn you over, however," negotiated Zelda. "I will set you free for the small fine of 10 rupees, no harm done."

"Y-y-yes, Your Highness!" replied the man, fiddling in his pocket and pulling out a small yellow rupee and handing it over.

"You're free to go," said Zelda.

"Thank you!" cried the man, kissing Zelda's hand. "You are so kind!" He and his brother fled the scene. The carpenters recovered their screw and returned to work. Zelda and Ganon glanced at each other with amusement.

"C'mon," said Zelda, tossing the rupee up in the air and catching it. "We're going Bombchu Bowling."

…..

They returned home later that evening with Zelda's prize—the Piece of Heart from Bombchu Bowling. It was filled with nothing but pure life and energy, love, and loyalty.

"That's a nice trinket," Ganon said, referring to the heart.

"Thank you!" she giggled. "But I don't think I'll keep it."

"What? That's absurd! Why wouldn't you?"

"Becaaaause… well, I want you to have it!" answered Zelda, holding out the clear, glowing heart in both hands.

"Really? Thank you!" cried Ganon, taking the heart and holding it close. He could feel a slight blush crawl across his face, which surprised him. Zelda had literally just given him her _heart_… could he help but feel a pleasant churning in his stomach?

"Now, we'll have to sneak past the guards again—" muttered Zelda.

"Sneak?" came a powerful voice. "I don't believe sneaking will be necessary. You're in enough trouble as it is."

They pivoted on the spot to see Impa standing before them, tall and powerful and terrifying.

"Impa—I—"

"Princess, we were worried sick!" cried Impa. "It's past dinnertime already! How could you run off like that?"

"I'm sorry!" whimpered Zelda.

Impa calmed. "Yes, yes, of course you are." She smiled. "Now, go tell your father you're all right. Just don't run off again like that."

Zelda sighed in relief. "Yes, Impa," she said. Then, she turned to Ganon. "Goodnight, Ganon. I hope to see you in the morning!" She curtsied, and then scurried away to find her father.

As soon as she had crossed the drawbridge and had run into the castle, Impa turned to Ganon, furious, and grabbed him by the ear.

"How dare you run off with the princess like that, insolent boy?" she screamed, tugging on Ganon's ear. "She could have been hurt, or killed, or kidnapped! She is too precious to be left alone!"

Ganon winced as she grabbed his hair and pulled him up straight with it. The heart fell out of Ganon's arms and shattered on the ground.

"You are lucky we let you stay here! I tolerated you because you seemed trustworthy, but now I will keep my keenest eye on you!"

"But I—"

"Don't you _dare _speak! You have brought the princess out in public, imagine that you turned your back for a split second, and suddenly she was gone! What makes you think you can—"

"What in tarnation?"

She stopped suddenly and turned toward the new arrivals. Talon, Malon, and Ingo stood ten feet away, staring at the scene in awe. Impa stood straight up and let go of Ganon, who stumbled to regain his balance.

"Welcome, visitors. Mr. Talon, I trust your journey went well?"

"Uh, yeah, quite well," answered Talon, still staring at the gerudo boy.

"If you'll kindly follow me inside, I'll show you to your rooms. We were not expecting such a late arrival."

"Alright," answered Talon.

"Malon," addressed Impa, "Zelda is waiting for you inside. You should be able to find her in the drawing room in the east wing on the second floor.

"Hurray!" cried Malon, dashing inside of the castle to meet her friend.

Impa turned to Ganon menacingly. "I know you've only known Zelda a day," Impa muttered fiercely, "but I can see that you fancy her. And I swear to Din, boy, another slip up like that, and I'll make sure that you never see her again."

And so she left Ganon and his broken heart behind in the growing twilight.


	4. Time Passes

Ganon soon reconciled with Impa. Although she still kept a stern eye on him, she really was growing fond of the boy from the desert. She admired the way that he kept Zelda close at hand, the way he could sense her presence. As time wore on, the connection between the princess and the desert boy grew stronger. Days merged into weeks, weeks into months, until half a year had passed and the boy remained with the royal family. By autumn, Ganon had made quite a home with them.

Zelda was seven and a half. Now she was eight. Ganon, now he was ten. A year, now, that he had been in the palace.

Impa observed them closely. Ganon had a certain stature that appealed to Impa. He made his place in society very distinguishable. Although his race degraded him on the social scale, he still stood firm and upright, shoulders back, feet spread wide. He was authoritative and brutal, and at the same time, held such a soft spot for the young princess that Impa began to feel that, as Zelda's nursemaid, she would soon lose her job to Ganon.

April, and Zelda was climbing a tree. She climbed so high she was stuck, and began to cry. Impa could hear the rumpus all the way from the marketplace, and couldn't seem to run fast enough back to Zelda. When she arrived at the castle, there was Zelda, stuck in the tree. However, her cries had stopped- unable to get her down, Ganon had climbed up and sat with her to console her. He had kept her happy. He had kept her safe.

From that moment, Impa and Ganon were sworn allies.

Spring continued on.

May, now. A delivery came from the ranch. Malon came along. She and Zelda seemed more distant, and Malon was shocked to be losing the company of the princess to the desert boy. A few mornings later, Zelda came pouting to Impa. Malon hates me now, she said. Malon doesn't like me because I won't play dolls with her. She called me a gypsy lover. Impa sat and stroked the girls hair and told her not to worry.

June. Zelda and Ganon were out in the courtyards every day. Warm weather brought them farther and farther from the castle walls each morning. One morning they made it out of the city and into Hyrule field, where they were allowed to run amuck under Impa's watchful gaze. They played, they ran, they rolled in the grass. Zelda threw her arms around Ganon and kissed him on the cheek.

July, scorching hot July. The streets of the market were abandoned due to the heat. Soldiers shed their armor and stood guard in light tunics. One step out into that air, said the townsfolk, and you'll dry up like a raisin. But Ganon was used to the heat and faced the rays like a sunflower. Zelda ventured out after him. Impa never let them out for too long, and found diversions to lead them inside and force them to rest. Those two always found a way to be worn out by the end of the day.

August, and Ganon turned eleven. The king rewarded the growing boy with a black stallion, which Ganon cherished. The handsome horse was daring and muscular- much like the boy himself. The guards offered to teach him how to handle a sword, only to be in for a surprise when Ganon displayed a great knack for it. Zelda celebrated Ganon's birthday by giving him a fresh set of paints and brushes. His first artistic output with the supplies was a beautiful portrait of Zelda, which Impa displayed in the main hall.

September, now. A breeze ruffled the red leaves, and Ganon would arrange the fallen ones into piles just so he could watch Zelda leap into them. Impa scolded them one, five, ten times for making a mess, but the children had such a place in her heart that she never stayed angry for very long.

October was a busy month. The arrival of winter caused shops and stalls to become packed away as Castle Town Market began its five- month hibernation indoors. The silence in the marketplace was broken only by the occasional howl of wind. However, the castle became home to those who lived on the streets and had no place to stay. Each night, refugees who were starving and cold would come and go into the castle to warm up. Impa, Zelda, and Ganon cared for them. Impa watched Zelda console a sick, frostbitten man. Later, Zelda began to cry that it broke her heart that some people lived under such poor conditions. For the first time, it was Ganon's shoulder she cried into, not Impa's.

November was the most frightening month of the year. November was the month of Shadows, which included but was not limited to the Sheikah, re-deads, poes, and gibdos. It was custom for children to each construct their own mask to frighten off the evil spirits. Ganon created a fantastic mask that resembled a gibdo, and Zelda ordered from the Happy Mask Salesman a hood that kept her face in shadow. The salesman claimed that it resembled something called a Garo, a terrifying creature from a far-off land. Ganon and Zelda each wore their masks from dusk to dawn, hoping to keep away all of the undead who had by now made their homes in Castle Town, which they believed to be abandoned. (Impa scorned this behavior; she told them they were getting to be too old for child's play.)

December, and candle light became custom for living. The sun was only up from 10 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, and almost everything that occurred happened under the watchful eye of a candle. Zelda and Ganon found a great sport in exploring the dark castle, hiding behind suits of armor and tapestries in the hopes of popping out and scaring servants.

The mischief continued into January, when the princess and the desert boy would start snowball fights in the courtyards and then drag the snow inside on the soles of their shoes. They ran about the castle, sending dishes and books flying as they tried to dress the cat in a pair of pantyhose. They built a snowman in front of the servants' door, trapping them all inside the castle. It was when they broke a window trying to knock down icicles that Impa finally snapped.

For the next month, February, Zelda and Ganon were unable to venture near each other. They had gotten into too much trouble to be allowed to interact, and each was kept in their room. Unbeknown to Impa and the rest of the royal family, Ganon had strung hemp through a pipe leading from his room to Zelda's, and each fastened a tin cup to one end of the hemp. They talked for hours on their new telephone wire, and when Impa realized what was happening, she let them see each other once more. It was apparent now that the princess and her desert boy were a package, impossible to be kept apart.

March, and Zelda turned nine. She received many new frocks, jewelry, shoes, and kerchiefs. Fine silks were imported for her benefit from far away nations such as Labrynna and Holodrum. From Calatia arrived a set of silverware. Impa and Ganon fashioned her a hand-made tiara of gorgeously braided gold and encrusted with a single ruby. Zelda ignored every gift and spent the day with Ganon and Impa, walking in the spring air as Castle Town unpacked itself and returned to life under the blue sky.

And finally, the year drew back to the month that Hyrule celebrated its New Year—April. April was the start of life, when the undead spirits left the streets forsaken to winter and instead the trees blossomed with flowers. Two years had passed since Ganon first met Zelda, and each was held dearly in the other's heart.

In the two years that had passed, the princess and her desert boy had become sewn together. One soul housed itself in two separate, remarkably different bodies. One heart beat under two complementary shades of skin. In Zelda, who was born of delicacy and finesse, roared a fire of passion and rebellion. This same fire found a home in the chest of a desert boy, built from honor and tradition.

To be so different, and yet the same person, was what held them together. They never stopped teaching each other about the world and what it meant to them. When one was hurt, the other felt pain. With each stroke of the Gerudo artist's brush, with each decision that the Hylian girl made in the Royal Court, the pair simultaneously became wiser in their own right. They made discoveries in the way they felt about each other. Their strength increased as time unfolded before them. As the years passed, life became something that existed in line with the other. Life for the princess would not have existed without the young desert king; life for the king would be nonexistent without the Hylian princess.

They were the light and the dark, the day and the night, the proud and the humble. Without one, the other would have no existence. Without one companion, the other companion took no form. Co-existence was the only possible existence. What started as friendship grew into a way of life.

They were at home with the other. In mid-spring, at the ages of thirteen and fifteen, to separate Princess Zelda of Hyrule from the young King Ganon of Gerudo Valley would be a sin.

And that was when Robin Chilcott came into the picture.


	5. Robin

Ganon knew he was in love with Zelda. He had known since he met her, but now he _really _knew.

She was his best friend. They did everything together. They had watched one another grow for six years. At the age of fifteen, in mid-may, Ganon figured that there was nothing that could come between him and the thirteen year old princess.

She had to love him back. He was her role model. She looked up to him, she wanted to be just like him. And there was no hiding how handsome he had become over the years—he was tall and broad-shouldered, with long red hair and a clean, sculpted jaw. Every day he looked less like a boy and more like a man.

And setting aside the fact that Ganon had always admired Zelda's kind heart and strong personality, there was no denying that she was increasing in beauty day by day. Sometimes, in passing her in a corridor, he would stop just to look at her as she walked by. (Sometimes, if he thought she was walking too quickly, he would loop around to a different corridor so he could watch her walk by again.)

One sunny afternoon in early June, Zelda was sitting in the courtyard, poring over a letter. Ganon found her and asked what she was up to.

"Mr. Chilcott is coming for supper tonight," was her answer.

Ganon didn't find this to be the least bit out of the ordinary. "Mr. Chilcott comes every week," he stated. "Why is it any different now?"

"He's bringing his son," Zelda answered, giving a small grimace.

Ganon very faintly recalled Mr. Chilcott once mentioning his son. After a few seconds, the name came to him. "…Robin, right? Robin Chilcott?"

"Yes," groaned Zelda. "_Robin_."

Ganon paused, then sat down beside her. "I take it you don't like _Robin _very much, do you?"

"Not very much at all," was her answer. "Robin and I argued a lot as kids… but that was when we were very, very young. I haven't seen him since before I met _you. _It's because he's spent his whole life at an academy somewhere. He graduated just this year, though. Now he's coming home to Hyrule, to live with his father. I guess he wants to work with his father's company."

"What does Mr. Chilcott do?" asked Ganon, who had never quite realized how Chilcott made his money.

"Mr. Chilcott owns a printing business," Zelda answered. "His company cuts down trees and manufactures paper. They also produce ink and use a press to mass-produce posters and newspapers. When you go out into town and see bulletins plastered onto the walls, most of them have a little _C _insignia in the bottom corner. It's for _Chilcott & Affiliated_, Mr. Chilcott's company. The business is how he makes his living."

Ganon frowned. "Why would you cut down trees when you're so lucky to have them? If we had a single tree in Gerudo Valley, we'd do whatever we could to keep it alive."

Zelda shrugged. "I don't know. Do you really mean to say that you've never tried to sweep away some of the desert sand? I guess trees just get in the way sometimes. You have to get rid of things that are in the way."

….

"Princess! Princess, let me in, you must get ready for supper!"

The sound of Impa's voice came from the other side of Zelda's bedroom door. The princess moaned and threw a pillow at the door.

"No! I don't want to!"

"Princess Zelda! You are responsible for the reception of Mr. Chilcott and Master Robin! It is expected that you will be a good host, now unlock this door at once!"

Grudgingly, Zelda rose from the sofa and unlocked the door, swinging it open and letting her nursemaid inside.

"That's much better," said Impa. She entered the room and swung the door shut behind her. She looked over Zelda.

"Heavens, child, you're getting tall. If only you would fill out a bit, you're a little thin for somebody of your height. Oh, well, we'll manage." She swung the wardrobe open and retrieved a deep blue dinner gown. "Put this on, we'll braid your hair later. And here, try these pearls with it…"

Zelda watched as Impa laid out an outfit. "There. You'll look beautiful. Now, I trust you can dress yourself…"

Impa left the room.

Evening light lit up the room. Zelda pulled off the frock she had worn that afternoon and was left in only a corset and a slip. She wandered over to the full-length mirror and looked over herself.

Even she had some doubts about her appearance. Too skinny, Impa had said. She looked at her figure and wondered if she'd ever develop a bust and whether her hips would ever widen. She frowned and thought of some of her female peers in Castle Town, who looked like women while Zelda still looked like a girl.

She stared blankly into the mirror at her childlike form and wondered whether Ganon, who was so much like a man, would be able to like her if she never really grew into a woman. She frowned and covered her eyes.

Zelda had been over this with herself—what she felt about Ganon. She had always known he was her best friend. He was always there for her, and she had always loved him as a friend. But recently, her feelings had been starting to change.

The other day, for example—Ganon had walked into the room and simply stood, talking to her. It was then that it occurred to her how handsome he was. He was far better looking than many of the other young men his age. A blush had crawled up her face, and she scrambled over her words.

And then she thought of earlier that afternoon, when Ganon had found her reading the letter about Robin's arrival. She considered how he had sat next to her on the bench, and all she could focus on for several seconds was his closeness. She had never noticed it before, but she felt uncomfortable having him so close. She realized that she could smell him and feel his warmth and knew that if she were to reach out only by several inches, she could touch him. The thought seemed absurd, even though she had touched him many times before.

The blushing and the unfamiliar feelings were all very new to Zelda, but she couldn't push them away. She wondered whether she should tell Impa about the way her stomach swooped around Ganon, but decided against it. Something inside the princess told her that these feelings were private. These feelings were not meant to be shared with anyone.

….

A carriage pulled up in front of the castle, and two forms exited slowly. The first was the form of Mr. Chilcott, who slipped out of the carriage onto his stubby legs and straightened out his tailcoat. He pulled his manacle from his nose, rubbed each watery eye once, and then replaced the manacle with a dignified sniff.

The second form to materialize was that of his son.

Robin Chilcott was rather tall and hardly muscular, but still held an aura of power. He had short, sandy hair and a pointed chin, freckles, and icy blue eyes that scrutinized everything in their path.

He was dressed in a formal military outfit- a vibrant red tailcoat with lapels that shone with polished gold buttons- from whatever country he had been studying in. When he stood, he kept his gloved hands behind his back and kept his nose pointed upward.

He was a pure-bred aristocrat, and was very proud of this. With his father as his benefactor, he could have anything he wanted, and quite coincidentally, needed to do absolutely nothing to acquire it.

As he crossed the drawbridge into the castle, he made sure to take in every surrounding the detail about the castle's exterior.

When he crossed through the door, he found a group of people waiting to receive him. A line of servants stood smiling at him; he stared coolly back. The King and Queen stood in the center, dressed extravagantly with smiles on their faces. Farthest to the side was what interested him the most—Princess Zelda, decorated like a porcelain doll, and (most curiously) a gypsy, standing right next to her.

"I didn't know the castle kept slaves," he said aloud, a smirk on his face. There was a quiet moment, and then the crowd realized who Robin was referring to.

Princess Zelda's eyes widened as she stepped forward.

"You misunderstand," she said, going pink in the face. "Ganon is not a slave. He is a guest of the Royal Family- he lives here."

"Oh," said Robin. Then, with clear sarcasm, "Well, excuse me, Princess."

The smiles had faltered on the faces of the castle's inhabitants, but they returned just as brightly when Robin turned to face them.

"It is a pleasure to be here," he said, going over the routine that he and his father had practiced the entire way here. "Hyrule Castle is just as my father described it to me. I am… rather impressed." He looked around at the brilliant architecture in the entrance hall—the chandelier, the grand staircase, the arched windows filled with golden sunlight, and so forth.

_All of this will be mine_, he thought to himself. _The moment I marry the princess, it will all be mine_.

With a smirk, he followed the family into the dining room.

….

Dinner was as extravagant as ever. Robin sat across from Zelda, and Ganon was placed directly next to Robin. There was no question that Ganon was unhappy about the seating arrangement- usually _he _sat across from Zelda. For Robin to all of a sudden take his place was not something he approved of.

Ganon could see that Zelda was trying her best to be hospitable of the newcomer.

"How are you liking Hyrule Castle?" she asked in the voice that Ganon had only ever heard her use on other politicians.

"Oh," replied Robin, the usual coldness in his voice, "well enough, I suppose. Your shrubs need trimming, you have a stain on the tapestry farthest to the right, your armor is lackluster, and your drawbridge looks ready to fall in. But other than that, it is stately enough… I suppose I will have to make the changes as soon as it is mine."

Zelda's brow knit together. "Excuse me? As soon as it is yours?"

Robin chuckled lightly. "Well, yes. Isn't it expected that we will someday marry? Maybe not now, but we are young, you and I. We have time. I am sixteen, now, you are… thirteen, correct?"

He glanced toward his father, who had been listening in on his conversation. Mr. Chilcott gave a slow nod.

Ganon gripped his fork anxiously and waited for Zelda's response. He glared at his plate and did not see Zelda looking to him for help.

After a few seconds, Zelda looked back at Robin. "I… I never thought about it," she answered lamely. "I didn't know you had any intentions of marriage."

"Well," he said, "we might as well. You cannot inherit the castle if you are not married to a man, and if you were to lose your parents and still be unmarried, you would be removed from the castle almost immediately."

Zelda frowned. "Don't speak of such things. My parents are perfectly healthy. I need not worry yet."

"I wouldn't say that," Robin answered quietly, leaning in and narrowing his pale eyes. "Your mother does look awfully tired."

Zelda glanced fearfully at her mother. There were bags under her mother's eyes that she had never noticed before. But then again, why shouldn't there be? Zelda's mother wasn't exactly young any more. It only made sense for her to look a little tired.

"I will hear no more of this," said Zelda coldly, and she returned to her dinner.

When Ganon chanced another glance at her, he saw that she was very white in the face.

"Of course not," Robin said, leaning back once more. "I am very sorry to have troubled you." And with that, he took Zelda's small hand and kissed it across the table. "As children," he said, "we argued more than we needed to. Let us start over- leave it all behind. My name is Robin Chilcott. And you must be the lovely Zelda."

Ganon nearly swallowed his spoon. Was Robin serious? Was he trying to _woo _Zelda?

The final course of the dinner ended there. The dinner guests rose, and Zelda walked around the table to meet Ganon. Before she could reach him, Robin took her arm.

"Let's go to the sitting room," he said. "With the other guests. We have years of catching up to do." He planted a small kiss on the top of her head.

Ganon frowned and stared furiously above both of their heads, pretending to take sudden interest in a portrait of an old, withered gentleman in a crown much too big.

"All right," said Zelda, submitting quietly. She didn't mention that she and Ganon usually spent the time after dinner out on the balcony. Ganon wondered whether Zelda had taken Robin's comment about losing her parents to heart.

She made her way to the sitting room, and Robin followed not far behind. Ganon stood glued to his spot, watching as Robin hid a small glass that had held a dessert wine in his tailcoat. Zelda passed through the door, but before Robin could do the same, Ganon stopped him.

"Excuse me, Robin," Ganon said. The door swung shut, and they were the only two left in the empty dining hall.

Robin turned. "Did you call me?" he asked mildly, approaching Ganon until he was a yard away.

"Don't steal that glass," Ganon ordered. "It doesn't belong to you. It belongs to Zelda."

Robin stared blankly for a minute, and then his eyes widened. "No," he said quietly, and then a grin cracked on his face. "Impossible!" he hollered, and he laughed. "The gypsy is in love with the princess!"

A hidden blush appeared on Ganon's dark skin. "Don't- don't call me that."

"I am calling you nothing less than what you are," Robin stated, regaining his composure while the smile still remained. "You might as well know that you _are _a gypsy. You are of a completely different line of people than Hylians. It is absurd to love the princess and expect her to love back—why, loving you would be like loving an _animal_!"

By now his smile had disappeared. The young men glared at one another.

"You know," said Ganon, his anger rising until he could not contain it, "you Hylians give the Gerudo a whole lot of _shit _about being thieves, yet look at you! Nicking a dessert glass when you think nobody's looking!"

Robin's rage equally grew. "Fine," he said. "Very well, then." He pulled the glass from his tailcoat, held it at arm's length, and dropped it. It fell to the floor and shattered into thousands of pieces.

"I think you broke something," Robin said simply, and then he left Ganon behind and caught up with Zelda in the adjoining room.

….

"I'm sorry about last night," said Zelda when she found Ganon in the entrance hall the next morning. It was sunny again today, and the entrance hall was airy and flooded with white light. Ganon was sitting on the staircase alone, his head leaning against the banister.

"Yeah, okay," he answered. Zelda frowned and stood next to him.

"Was Robin bad to you? I know you two were alone in the dining room."

"Yes," Ganon said bitterly. Zelda harrumphed.

"Well? What did he say?"

"Never mind what he said," Ganon groaned, standing up. "It's not important. Listen, Robin wants Hyrule Castle, and he wants Hyrule. And if he can't get it by marrying you, then he'll find another way."

He sighed and let out what was on his mind. "I wouldn't put it below Robin to hurt you to get Hyrule Castle. So if it ever comes up where you're in a situation and you're by yourself… if I'm not around or something… please just do what he says. If you need to marry him to keep Hyrule and have a place to live, just do it. And then at least there will be someone decent on Hyrule's throne—_you_." He put a hand firmly on her shoulder. "You're really strong, Zel. But what Robin's doing with you, it's not love, it's politics. He and his father won't stop until Robin's king. And once he is, the first thing he'll do is get rid of me. And so you _need _to marry him, Zel, so I'll know that you're being looked after and that Hyrule has someone to look after it. I really love Hyrule—I do. If I could stay here forever, I would. But I know that I can't, and so you've got to keep it safe. You've got to keep it safe for me."

His speech complete, Ganon stopped to catch his breath.

Zelda looked at him wide-eyed.

"Oh, Goddesses," she whispered in horror. "You're right, you're completely right… but this is tyranny! We can bring it to the royal court, we can keep you safe—"

"No," said Ganon. "You're the one we need to keep safe." He kissed her very quickly and uncertainly on the cheek. "Don't tell anyone about this," he whispered into her ear. And then he let her go and left the entrance hall.

Zelda's hand wandered limply to her cheek where she had been kissed. She could feel her skin burning under her fingertips as a blush crawled from her neck to her hairline.

She stood on the staircase for a few minutes, caught in a daze as she thought about Ganon. She wondered for a long time what her feelings were as disjointed thoughts crossed her mind—a small, dirty boy who had stolen jewelry, a slightly bigger boy sitting with her in a tree, an even bigger boy hiding with her behind a suit of armor… and all of a sudden, a young man who made her heart flutter whenever he was nearby. She wasn't about to let Robin chase him away—not when Zelda felt so excited to be around him.

After awhile, Mr. Chilcott waddled into the hall in a silk dressing gown. When he saw Zelda standing alone on the staircase, he squinted and frowned.

"Your Highness?" he said uncertainly. "Your Highness, are you all right? You look quite flustered."

Zelda jumped and fell out of her daze, looking at Mr. Chilcott in surprise. "What? Oh—oh, yes, I'm all right." Her hand flew unconsciously back to her cheek. "I, um, I have to go." She scurried up the staircase and out of sight.

Mr. Chilcott reviewed what he had just seen—a teenage girl, blushing madly, and holding her face as if she had been kissed there.

Chilcott gave a curt nod and straightened up in stature. _Well, then_, he thought._ Robin must be doing a very good job_.

….

The Chilcotts left early that afternoon for their own home. Mr. Chilcott owned a rather lavish apartment in the back alley of Castle Town, among many other rich neighbors. He conducted his business on the first floor of the apartment, and lived with his son, two maids, and the butler on the second. (The chauffer lived in the garage, but it was a very nice garage.)

Nobody living in Hyrule Castle knew quite when to expect the Chilcotts back, and for a few days, life continued as normal. Then, much to the surprise of everybody in the castle, the queen fell suddenly ill. It started with fatigue, but turned quickly into a cold, and then developed a fever. She was bedridden, and nobody knew quite what to do about it. While her condition didn't worsen, it refused to heal, and things were put on hold.

Talk soon arose among the servants in the castle. While the gossip didn't reach the ears of the Royal family or its affiliates, the servants started discussing the possibility of marrying Zelda off earlier than expected. She wouldn't _properly_ be allowed to marry until she was sixteen, but if her mother did not survive, then young Zelda would become queen alongside her father. And it would only be suitable at that time for her to find a king.

At first, talk among the servants discussed the possibility of marrying Zelda to young Robin Chilcott. It seemed very sensible. But as the servants dwelled on it further, they came up with a possibility- what about that Gerudo boy, Ganon? Wasn't he a king? Why not marry Zelda to Ganon, and unite Hyrule with Gerudo Valley? Sure, the servants weren't politicians themselves, but they spent the day surrounded by them, and it seemed quite logical.

But at the same time, marriage between a Hylian and a Gerudo would go against all of the tradition that Hyrule Castle had for so long upheld. The pairing seemed outlandish, impossible, even.

As much as the servants loved to gossip and speculate, it seemed that the queen had awhile yet to live. Her condition, while bad, wasn't critical, and it wasn't getting any worse. Princess Zelda, it seemed, would not need to consider marriage quite yet.

The servants watched the following weeks play out from their own individual places, amused by those who called the castle home.

The stable boy found himself increasingly taking care of the two bay-colored horses that pulled the Chilcott carriage as Mr. Chilcott and Robin increased in their number of visits to the castle.

The queen's chambermaid observed that the queen's room was so untidy that a number of empty wine glasses had accumulated on the queen's nightstand. When the maid attempted to clean the room, Mr. Chilcott intervened and begged that the maid leave the room alone to avoid catching any illness herself.

Mr. Chilcott's influence was also felt around other parts of the castle. He started venturing downstairs to the servants' quarters, where he found work helping the servants in the kitchen as they prepared food to bring up to the queen. When it came time for a tray to be delivered, it was Chilcott who brought it to her. He claimed that he wanted to get to know the inner-workings of the house, further hinting at the fact that Robin might be due for the throne.

The housekeeper, who frequented every room in the castle, saw a bond developing between the princess and Robin that was undoubtedly romantic. Robin's advances on her were obvious, but how the girl felt… well, it was undetermined.

The cook noticed one day that his favorite soup pot was missing, and when he thought back upon it, he realized that he hadn't seen the pot since before the queen fell ill. He wondered whether the princess and Ganon were behind its disappearance, the mischievous creatures.

Every morning, the gardener went out to find plants missing from his garden. He had hardly noticed at first, but now he realized that some of the more poisonous plants were obviously decreasing in number. Somebody had been _picking _them. One morning, he turned the corner to find Mr. Chilcott speaking quietly with the man who owned Castle Town's potion shop. When the man left, the gardener stopped Mr. Chilcott. Chilcott then assured the gardener that the missing plants were being taken by the potion man for strictly medicinal purposes, and that he shouldn't worry. From that point on, the gardener stopped worrying, although he would have sworn that he once saw the plants in Chilcott's hand on one of Chilcott's trips to visit the servants.

The old groundskeeper was applying a new layer of soil to the plants in the castle courtyards one afternoon when Ganon approached.

"The princess and I saw you working," he said to the old man. "We thought we might help. She'll be out in only a few minutes."

In a pair of old trousers and a cheap cotton shirt, Ganon picked up a shovel and began piling soil around the plants, working together with the groundskeeper. The old man gave a silent, toothless smile at the young man who was so willing to help and so strong of heart.

After nearly a half hour had passed, Robin Chilcott strolled into the courtyard. When he saw Ganon, he smirked.

"Like playing in the dirt, gypsy boy?" he scoffed. "Good to see you've found your place."

Ganon scowled.

"What? Not going to say anything? Very well, then." Robin brushed off his crimson tailcoat. "If you're looking for Zelda, she's inside."

Ganon glanced up. "You're lying. Zelda went to change. She's going to help with the work."

"Actually," said Robin softly, "she's not. You see, Princess Zelda is in the sitting room with her father, where they have been waiting to receive me. Zelda and I thought we might spend the afternoon together. And if you want the details, here they are; Zelda is currently in a turquoise dress, with her hair in a tight bun… let me think… white stockings, white shoes…" he thought further. "…she has a silver ring on her little finger. The one on the right." He laughed. "What? Don't look so shocked. I was only just talking to her moments ago."

"But she told me—" Ganon said, and his words faltered. Zelda had _said _she would go out and work with him. They had _planned _it. And it had been so many days now since they had been outside together.

"She told you what you wanted to hear. That is all."

Ganon stood to where he was as tall as Robin. "Tell the truth," he stated. "Zelda would never let me down. Tell the truth."

"You want the truth, gypsy boy?" Robin spat. "Fine, then. Have it—Zelda told you to go outside so she could get rid of you! She's tired of having you on her heels!"

The groundskeeper looked shocked at this. When Robin's back was turned, he picked up his hoe and smacked the butt of it into the back of Robin's legs.

"Go away, you nasty boy!" he wheezed in his aged voice. Robin looked shocked, but he scampered off. Ganon and the groundskeeper laughed simultaneously at the stripe of dirt that the hoe had left on Robin's pants.

From inside, the housekeeper eyed Zelda as she watched Ganon and Robin from the window. She heard Zelda giggle when Robin received a hoe to the pants. Then Zelda turned around and sat glumly.

"Are you _sure _I can't go outside?" she begged. The king shook his head decidedly.

"No, Zelda. You are to stay inside and spend the evening with Master Robin."

Zelda gave a long groan, cutting it short when Robin entered the room. She gave him a weak smile, remembering Ganon's words. _Do what he says_.

The housekeeper was dusting the mantle when Robin pulled Zelda over to the grand piano. He played a short tune, during which Zelda gave a smile.

"I love music," the housekeeper heard her say. Then the housekeeper came upon something the Royal family kept on the mantelpiece. She picked it up and handed it to Robin.

"What's this?" asked Robin. The housekeeper smiled.

"A pretty flute of some sort," she answered. "Can you play it? I think the princess would like it."

The flute, which was properly called an ocarina, fit nicely into the mold of Robin's hands. He began to play uncertainly, but after a few minutes, he had worked out a nice tune.

"Is this yours?" he asked the princess. Zelda giggled.

"It is our family's," she answered, and her hands folded over Robin's as she went to take the ocarina. Instead of taking it, Robin took her hands in his own.

"_Our _family's?" he asked hopefully. "_Ours_?"

Zelda turned slightly pink. "I mean… yes. Ours." _Do what he says_.

Robin leaned in closer to her as the king exited the room frantically, pulling the housekeeper with him.

Ganon, who had crawled up one of the vines and was watching in through the window, frowned.

"Don't you dare," Ganon mumbled to himself. "Don't you dare say it…"

But Robin obviously hadn't heard, for he said straight to Zelda, "You will marry me, then?"

Before Zelda could even begin to respond, Ganon flung himself through the window. The window shattered and glass flew everywhere. Zelda and Robin were wrenched apart in shock as Ganon fell forward onto his face. He leapt to his feet and ran straight to Zelda's side.

"Zel," he said. "Zel, please, listen to me." There was urgency in his voice. "I know that I once told you to marry him if he asked, but now that it's happened, don't. Just, please… don't. I can't take it."

"Why?" asked Zelda, who was very flustered. Ganon knelt in front of where she was sitting and took her hand.

"Because I love you," was all he could say. His eyes, abused and tired and full of hope, traced her face. "Because I love you, and I always have, and I didn't say anything because I knew you could never love me back. Because I'm a Gerudo. And loving me is like loving an animal…"

Zelda went very red in the face and her stomach swooped. "You love me." She said. "You _love _me."

Ganon nodded, and again Zelda realized his closeness. His smell, his warmth, and if she reached out, she could _touch _him…

And so she did. She reached out a hand experimentally and touched his shaven jaw, and then one of his long, messy locks of hair. She smiled in disbelief and tucked it behind his ear, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him in close.

"You're not an animal," she said. "You're the best person in the world."

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

"I'm so happy," Zelda said. "You make me so happy."

They stood up simultaneously and broke apart. Robin watched in shock as Ganon took Zelda's arm.

"Let's go somewhere," she said. "Anywhere. The marketplace sounds good. Let's go now."

"Wait!" said Robin. "Wait, you're taking _him_?"

"Yeah," Zelda answered. "Yeah, I am."

Robin glared at Ganon. "Fine, then. But this doesn't end here. You'll get in trouble—what about the window!"

Ganon considered for a moment. Then he answered quite smoothly, "Oh, that window?" He chuckled darkly. "Robin Chilcott… I think you broke something."

….

Robin exited the castle very soundly and marched down to the market. He walked fast enough to keep the princess and her companion out of sight, aggravated that Zelda would accept the gypsy. What had Robin been thinking, making her his wife? All of it gone, all of his father's work wasted!

Zelda and Ganon ran about the marketplace hand in hand, noticing nobody in their newfound bliss. All of a sudden, the world belonged to them. They combed the streets, shining bright with the sun. When it set, they danced beside the fountain and watched the stars from the viewing balcony. As teenagers, the world was theirs. They talked about themselves, and for awhile, they forgot that the queen was ill, that Robin would enact revenge, and that Ganon would undoubtedly get into a lot of trouble for running away with the princess once more.

But Robin had a much darker purpose in mind. As night fell, he shrugged on a black cloak, pulling the hood over his face and leaving his eyes in shadow.

He whisked past the festivities that occurred every summer night, past the princess and her new lover, and entered the potion shop. He slammed the door shut behind him.

The young man at the desk looked up and his smile vanished.

"Master Chilcott," he said uncertainly, "it's getting late. Aren't you tired?"

"Don't play games with me," Robin snarled. "I don't want to be a part of them."

"Fine," said the potion man. "Then I won't. What do you want?"

"Are we alone?" asked Robin. The potion man bit his lip.

"If this is about—"

"Why isn't she dead yet?" cried Robin. "Well?"

The potion man frowned. "Do you want the true answer?"

"This had better be really damn good!" yelled Robin, slamming his palm on the desk. The sound rebounded through the entire store. "My father and I have been working for this! We've been getting you the herbs from the castle garden, haven't we? We retrieved the soup pot for you to mix it in! You have all of the ingredients, you've made us the potion! And my father has been bringing it in a glass to the queen every day for weeks, now. _Weeks_! You told us the potion would kill her! You said it was a death potion!"

The potion man frowned. "I haven't been giving you the proper potion," he finally said. "I have been giving you a potion to make her ill, that's all. I wanted to see how long I could keep the deal running. I needed the money to open up a new shop in Kakariko Village—my family lives there, you see. I knew that by stretching out the time it took to kill the queen for as long as possible would keep the money coming. Now that I've saved up the proper amount, I've bought a new shop. I'm moving shop in less than a month. So there—it was a business scam, yes. But I haven't been making you a death potion. It was an illness potion, that's all."

Robin was furious. "Well, then! I see how it is—you have been taking advantage of my father and I."

"And what are you going to do about it?" shouted the potion man. "Alert the king that I've been keeping the queen alive? By bringing this story to the authorities you would be revealing your plot to kill the queen and take the throne—don't think you have any hold over me whatsoever, because you don't."

Robin turned away and regained his composure.

"Believe it or not," Robin said, "I _do _have a hold over you. A very big one."

He turned back around and leaned forward on the counter. "You say your family lives in Kakariko village? Perhaps they would like a visit from my friend here." Without warning, Robin whipped out a dagger and stabbed it into the counter. The potion man's eyes widened.

"You're a murderous fiend," he said. "You will kill anybody in cold blood."

"You've seen me try," Robin answered coolly. "If I didn't need to stay in the favor of the king, I would stab the queen myself. Unfortunately, the only way to kill her is in secret. Now, I think you could whip up a nice death potion, don't you?"

The man looked at Robin in horror. "Queen Zelda has been so good to us… and still you are willing to kill her."

Robin smiled devilishly. "Unless you want to do it at knifepoint," he said, "I suggest you have a death potion ready for me before morning."

….

When Zelda awoke the next day, she was not in her own bed.

She was instead on Ganon's bed, her head curled into his chest. When she realized where she was and remembered the previous day, her heart skipped a beat. All that she had felt for Ganon had come to fruition. The butterflies, the feelings, the blushing—that was _love_. Why had it been so hard to recognize before?

The sky was blanketed in clouds that morning. The young man and woman stood and looked over one another, still in the previous day's clothes.

"Strange," said Zelda quietly. "Strange, the way that you and I fell together. Me, a princess. You, a king of thieves."

"So unlike one another," Ganon recited, "but living with the same soul."

Ganon took her hand.

"We have to tell everyone," he said. "Everyone has to know about us, if they don't already."

"And if we aren't allowed to have each other?" Zelda asked.

Ganon paused. "We run."

Zelda nodded. "We run."

Hand in hand, they left Ganon's room and descended the staircase, meaning to meet the king in the throne room. Before they could find him, they were stopped by Impa in the entrance hall, still in her dressing gown. She looked wearily at their clasped hands and gave a long sigh.

"I knew it was coming someday," she said slowly.

But Zelda ignored Impa's comment. "Impa?" she said quietly. "…Impa, what's wrong?"

Impa's eyes fell shut and she bowed her head. "It is your mother, my dear. Queen Zelda has passed on."


	6. The Gray Village

The stagecoaches trudged wearily across Hyrule Field. Mist rolled off of the rocks and under the carriages, where it tumbled around, trapped between the wheels and the hard ground.

The sky was a smooth, silky gray. The sun was blotted out, wherever it was. The rain, which clearly wanted to fall, was holding back. Hyrule Field was kept quiet, except for the clattering of the coach's wheels on stone.

After the first stagecoach came another, and then another, until an entire line of carriages stretched from one horizon to the next.

Their destination: Kakariko Village Graveyard.

Inside the first carriage, the King sat alone. He looked lamely out of the window, tears trickling down his aging cheeks and leaving silver strands in his beard. His hands were limp on his lap as he turned thoughts over in his head of his wife, dead so suddenly, and his mind was dampened with fear that he would be the next to go.

The next carriage held the corpse, fresh off of her deathbed and covered in a white cloth. Nobody dared to venture near her.

The third carriage held the princess and Impa. Impa had shed tears, but Zelda sat quiet and collected. She looked very young, with her white face and her slender shoulders, but did not seem sad. Perhaps, Impa thought, Zelda had never had enough time to grow close with her mother. Perhaps she had found that closeness in Ganon instead.

Ganon, who had been sitting in Zelda's coach only moments before, had slung around to sit beside the coachman. The heavy atmosphere had driven him away.

The coaches that followed carried all sorts of people—those who had worked at the castle, people who had lived in the city, and even street rats who had, at one point in time, been touched by Queen Zelda of Hyrule.

One coach did carry Robin and his father. They sat across from each other, and they were quite likely the only two who did not weep.

"Now that the queen has gone," said Mr. Chilcott devilishly, "there will be much talk of finding an heir. We must be ready for when that time comes. For the king will suddenly worry that he will go all too soon, and that Hyrule will need a decent ruler to follow. The simplest way to the throne would be to marry the princess."

Robin stared glumly out of the window. "She will not have me," he stated bitterly. "Believe me, I tried. But she fell in love with the gypsy boy." With a snarl, Robin pulled his dagger from his belt and tore open the cushion to let out his anger.

"Whether or not she loves you does not matter," his father assured him. "It is the heir her _father _chooses to take Hyrule that will matter. And if we can leave a reasonable enough impression—"

"We killed his wife. Why on earth would he choose us?"

"Because he doesn't know!" cried Chilcott, throwing his arms into the air. A small smile played on his paunchy face. "He hasn't the foggiest that we were behind it all! Why, I'd bet my buttons he'd hand Hyrule to us in a heartbeat!"

Robin glared at his father. "You'd bet your buttons. Father, you'd bet your buttons. We are in a funeral procession, and you're _betting _your _buttons_."

"Something's got a hold on you," Chilcott said. He scrutinized his son. "What's the matter?"

Robin returned his knife to his belt. "After the potion man made us that potion last night, I killed him. I told him I'd let him live if he mixed it for me, but I needed proof that the potion was authentic. So I forced him to drink it, and he died right away."

Robin collapsed back against his seat. "It didn't feel like I'd thought it would. I thought killing him would make me feel powerful, or glorious, but now I just feel sick. Because now I've killed two people."

Out of the window, Robin looked at the endless line of black coaches. They went on forever in either direction.

"What's gotten into you, son?" asked Chilcott. Robin pulled the black cloak tighter around himself. His forehead fell against the cool glass of the window, and his eyes shut wearily.

"Look at all the sadness it causes," was all he muttered. "Look at what all of this has done to the princess…"

"As far as I'm concerned, it's business," Chilcott said.

After a moment of thought, Robin's eyes opened and he sat back up.

"You're right, of course," he said to his father. "Just as always, you're right."

Mr. Chilcott gave a quick nod. "That's my boy," he said proudly.

…

The procession did not stop until each individual coach had unloaded in front of the Kakariko Village stairwell. Dressed in simple black cloaks, each mourner shuffled in single-file up the mountain staircase. They entered the quiet, cloudy village at a slow march, heads bowed. Nobody traveled alone; people formed bands with each other as they grieved in synchronized sobs, hands clasping other hands.

Although he was hidden in the middle of the procession, Ganon's head bobbed above the rest of the relatively short-headed crowd. He caught sight of Zelda at the head of the crowd, her golden hair hidden under a starch black bonnet. She looked so breakable that he wanted nothing more than to stand by her and snarl at anybody who so much as laid an eye on her. But he kept his distance and respected the space he knew she needed, knowing that the last thing half of Hyrule's population would allow would be a Gerudo thief hovering over their princess.

Somewhere in the distance a figure cut through the haze with a lantern, forcing the crowd to part as he scrambled through.

The man was old and hunched over with fewer teeth than he had fingers. His hand, which held the lantern right in front of his eyes, shook violently with nerves. The man's white eyes searched the mob for the king. When he located him, he gave a short nod.

"Your Highness," said the old man, extending a bony limb. The king shook it reluctantly, afraid of snapping the man's wrist in half.

"I'm Dampé," the man said. "I keep the graves… My deepest apologies, Sir."

The king looked at Dampé wordlessly. When no sound emitted from either man, Zelda's voice rang out like that of a songbird's.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you, Dampé. We appreciate your services."

Dampé bowed and got stuck on the way back up. With a grunt, he gave his back a twist and a crack, and then stood up with a sigh of relief.

"As you can see," Dampé said, "I'm not my old self. I'm not much more than a skeleton these days. I'm going to need help with the burial…." He looked around soundlessly, tapping his chin with one long-nailed digit, before giving a 'humph' of approval.

"Him," he said, extending his forefinger at Ganon. "Have the gypsy help with the shovel… well? Come here then, boy. No sense in lingering there, the Hylians don't want you around, now, anyway."

Ganon stepped forward hesitantly as the entire mob of people turned to observe him. He pushed his way lightly through the crowd, pressing cologne-coated bodies to the side as a crow cawed somewhere in the distance. Once he had reached the front line he broke free of the mass and sauntered over the wet grass to Dampé's side, where he looked the old man in the eye once before turning to face the people.

He looked into each face individually for no more than a split second, daring them to speak. He wanted to hear one person, just _one_ person, object to his offer of service to the late queen. More than anything, Ganon wanted to hear their racist words, for right now he felt that they might as well all be thrown at him at once and grind him into the dirt. Instead, silence hung over the words of the mourners. Nobody spoke. Nobody whispered of gypsies this time around. And Ganon knew that it was not because they respected him, but because they were saving their insults for later, when it would hurt the most.

After a few pressing seconds of silence, Dampé cleared his throat and spoke again. "According to Kakariko procedure, an autopsy must be performed on the queen before she is brought to her final resting place."

The front line of the crowd rippled as Mr. Chilcott burst out to the front.

"Are- are you really sure that will be necessary?" he stuttered.

"Absolutely necessary," Dampé replied. "It is law. We cannot bury Her Highness without first assessing the cause of death. The body must be studied by our potion brewer, Mrs. Mutoh. It is the only legal way."

Now Chilcott turned desperately to the king. "Your Majesty," he said, his voice squeaking as he shifted his weight from toe to toe, "your wife was a very noble woman. Wouldn't you rather she be buried undisturbed? It is in your power to change the law however you please."

The king gave his head a shake. "No. The law must be obeyed, especially by he who governs. What type of king would I be if I broke all of my own laws?"

"A very durable one, I should think," muttered Robin to himself from inside the crowd.

"Besides, Mr. Chilcott, what does it matter to you? Have you something to hide?"

"What?" cried Chilcott. "Have mercy, no! I just thought in your best interest—"

"I will think in my _own _best interest, thank you," the king said firmly. He then turned to Dampé. "When will you be ready?"

"We should hold the burial before nightfall," Dampé answered. "The examination could take all afternoon, and I don't know how handy your gypsy is with a shovel, so I would find a way to pass the afternoon as you please, Sir."

The king gave a nod before disbanding the crowd. "Very well," he said, and then beckoned over two of his servants—the gardener and one of the housemaids.

"Stay with the grave keeper," he said. "Keep an eye on my wife with that Gerudo around. Don't allow any funny business."

"Yes, Your Majesty," they each said, giving a short bow before running to catch up with the old man and his Gerudo assistant.

…

Robin walked slowly and deliberately up a muddy hill. At the top of the hill rested a house with a heavy door that looked strong enough to keep out any intruder. That was the thing about Kakariko houses; they looked strong enough to outlive anything. Homes in Castle Town were cheaply built- just another thing he'd have to change once he was king.

When he reached the door, he froze in his tracks. He didn't quite know what he was going to say to the people inside, but he had a fairly good idea. Raising one hand cautiously, he grasped the cold brass knocker and slammed it against the hollow door three times. After a few seconds, the door opened and a pale white face greeted him. It belonged to a tall woman, maybe only a year or two older than Robin, with dark blue eyes and short bronze hair. She looked at him somewhat skeptically for a moment, observing his military dress and black cloak, before opening the door all of the way and speaking.

"I take it you are with the procession," she said quietly, to which Robin nodded. When he stayed silent, the woman said, "I am not surprised. You look ill. Would you like some tea?"

Sometime during her greeting a gentle rain had started to fall. Robin nodded once more, a sick feeling developing in his stomach. Remembering to retain his aura as best he could, he entered the room and pretended that he owned it. (This was his usual habit. He liked pretending that he owned things. It made him feel mighty.)

The floor creaked underneath him as he took a few steps into the simple kitchen. The woman shut the door and reached into a corner cabinet, pulling out two small teacups and filling each with liquid from a steaming pot. She handed the ceramic dish to Robin delicately, and his hands shook as he accepted it from her and sat across from her at the table.

"I'm Anju," the woman said, and for some outlandish reason, her voice reminded Robin of honey. He looked at her and the gray light that fell on the palette of her white cheekbone, wondering how he could ever bring himself to deliver his news to this sweet, fragile woman.

"Robin Chilcott," he said, taking note of the weakness in his voice and trying to force it away with a gulp. She gave a short smile.

"I recognize your name," she said. "_Chilcott & Affiliated_, correct? Ah, yes, I thought so. Tell me, since you are from Castle Town… have you seen my cousin recently? He owns the Potion Shop in the marketplace. I thought that I would see him today since most of Castle Town arrived by coach, but I never caught sight of his face."

Robin took a shaky breath, and then delivered the news. "I came to speak to you about that," he said. "Your cousin… the potion shop man… he died last night. In a… in a laboratory accident."

Anju's blue eyes widened. She reached out a pallid hand to take Robin's, but Robin's own hand ducked under the table just in time. If she had caught hold of it, she would have realized just how clammy it was and the way that it shook. Her own hand only grasped cold air, and then retreated back to the warmth of her teacup.

"Who told you this?" she asked.

"A military report," Robin lied, knowing that Anju was too shocked over her cousin's death to be skeptical of Robin. Anju's hand curled and drew up to her lips, which were now agape from the sudden blow.

"Thank you for telling me this," she finally said. "I would rather be aware of his death than wonder, you know?" She took note of his drained expression and the grayness of his face. "Are you ill?" she asked. "Do you need to lay down for a bit?"

Robin considered her for a moment. He envisioned reclining on the bed in the corner and cocooning himself in its soft, burgundy-colored quilt. For a second or two, he imagined passing the afternoon with Anju in her quiet, empty house as the rain fell on the sturdy roof. He wondered what it might be like to shut out the world of kings and castles for just a little while and live without his father. Independent.

Then the dead potion man's face flashed into his head. Robin remembered suddenly the great evil that he had done Anju by murdering her cousin.

"No," he said. "I really must be going. I have to meet up with my father."

And so he stood and left without looking back, for he knew that if he did he would be drawn to Anju without a second thought.

…

"There you are, boy. Where the blazes have you been?"

Ganon eyed Dampé sternly, wondering what the old gravekeeper would say if he found out Ganon had once been a king. (Technically, Ganon was still a king, but he had left his people so long ago that he felt he no longer deserved that position.)

They were inside a strange building that had taken Ganon ages to find, as the only available entrance was through the back door and it was hidden behind a fence. The inside of the building, which turned out to be an old woman's apothecary shop, was filled with white smoke and strange beams of colored light. Cauldrons lining the room were filled with bubbling liquids of exotic hues. It was all very stark in contrast to the world outside, which was so gray and heavy with death.

Ganon and the two accompanying servants rested the queen's corpse on a table in the back room, which was equally as mystifying as the first. The old apothecary began her inspection of the body, during which the two servants drew away and wept bitterly. The old woman kept Ganon and Dampé close at hand as she worked, observing the condition of the queen's exterior. Ganon paid mild attention to what the woman was doing as she examined the queen's skin for scars or bruises- signs of inflicted pain. After the skin was deemed flawless, the woman considered other possibilities—as of now, it seemed that sickness had caused the death.

It wasn't until the old woman gave a shriek of surprise that Ganon looked up and really started paying attention.

"What? What is it?"

The apothecary was holding the queen's jaw open, and inside of her mouth was one of the most frightening images Ganon had seen in a long time. The entire interior of the mouth was black and the tongue was shriveled as though a considerable amount of bleeding had occurred. Upon further inspection, it was almost as if somebody had lit a match and had thrown it inside, trapping it there as the jaw clamped shut. Entire layers of skin had peeled away and were hanging in shreds. The sight was gruesome.

"No sickness killed her, I'll tell you that," said the old woman. "This was an assassination." She looked Ganon in the eye. "Poison," she said. "And a magnificent brew, at that."

Ganon shuddered as he imagined the damage that had been done in the mouth continuing down the queen's throat, into her stomach and eating its way out into her chest.

"The damage done here probably spread all throughout the torso, destroying the queen from the inside. No wonder her skin is so clear of injury—this death potion was so strong that nobody even needed to worry about hacking at her. It completely ate everything away."

Ganon stumbled back in surprise, knocking into a set of wind chimes and falling into an empty cauldron. He didn't stand up, but instead dwelled on the fact that he had been living alongside an assassin for what could have been years. He wondered who the assassin was—whether they had ever gone after Zelda—and worse, whether they would go after her now.

Overcome with nerves, Ganon jumped to his feet and scrambled to the door. He had to find Zelda and protect her from whatever might hurt her.

Before he could escape the smoky shop, the two castle servants waiting by the door grabbed his elbows and held him back.

"Oh no you don't, boy," said the housemaid.

"Get that damned gypsy back here!" came Dampé's aged howl from the back room. With a shove, Ganon stumbled back into the room where the corpse lay. The old woman was looking at him in shock.

"Don't you try and run now, boy—you've played the role of a guilty man."

Ganon's eyes widened. "Wait—no, you don't understand! I didn't do it! It wasn't me, I didn't kill her!"

"Then why did you run?" asked Dampé. "You hightailed out like a criminal."

"The boy didn't do it," said one of the servants with a sigh. Peering out from under the brim of his hat, the gardener said, "Ganon did not kill Her Majesty. He would never attempt such a thing. I have seen where his heart is."

"Then who did?" asked the housemaid.

The gardener sighed. "All I can say is, I should have known the day that Mr. Chilcott took those plants from the garden…"

He went on to tell the story of the association Mr. Chilcott had had with the poisonous plants and the potion man. It all fell into place as the housemaid recalled finding empty wind glasses at the queen's bedside every morning until Chilcott told her to stop cleaning.

And to the five living in the room, it all fell into place.

"Oh, goddesses," the housemaid said, her mouth agape in horror. "Chilcott did it. Chilcott murdered the queen."

"But _why_?" asked the gardener. "_Why _would he kill her?"

"For power," muttered Ganon, whose face had drawn into his palm. "He always planned for Robin to take the throne. Killing the queen brought the king that much closer to choosing the next heir. The sooner Robin could inherit the throne, the better. And as soon as Robin's officially in line, I have no doubts that Chilcott will do away with the king, too."

All eyes were now trained on Ganon, and for the first time, they observed him in an almost respectful manner.

"What do we do?" asked the housekeeper, her voice shaking. "We cannot let Chilcott get away with this. We must turn him in!"

"No," said Ganon firmly. He stood up now and thrust his hands behind his back. "No, that won't do. Robin is too dangerous. Even if Chilcott is out of the way—_especially _if Chilcott is out of the way—Robin will find a way to enact revenge. If Chilcott's not around, then Robin will find a way to put his own ass on the throne. He has money, which apparently translates to power in Hyrule. No," Ganon concluded. "Chilcott's not the one we need to stop. Robin is."

Now the other four in the room looked at Ganon with absolute reliance. His analysis of the situation made sense—getting rid of Chilcott would not stop possible scandal on Robin's part. But eliminating Robin would give no reason for Chilcott to continue his pursuit of the throne.

"Of course," said Ganon slowly, "this is all just talk. There is nothing that can be done about it now. First we must follow through with the burial of the queen. Once that is over, something can be done about Robin and his father. But for now… for now, thing must be taken one at a time. Step by step. Now, Dampé, where do you keep your spade? I believe we ought to start on that hole…"

…

It was what Hyrule considered to be the longest day in its history. The queen's burial passed in the Kakariko graveyard, where people pressed against each other to bid their blessed queen farewell, gray light coming down from the clouds and shrouding them. Mist never stopped tumbling at their feet as each mourner approached the corpse one by one and kissed the veil on their fading idol.

The last to say farewell was the king himself, who took a long look at his wife, who appeared so peaceful and young and lovely under her veil, before drawing away into the shadow of the crowd once more.

Then they all retired back to the village, where the stagecoaches were waiting to take many of the mourners back to the city.

However, for the Chilcotts and the people of Hyrule Castle, Kakariko Village would be home for the next several weeks while all traces of the queen were erased from the castle.

For several days following the burial, Zelda and Ganon did not talk. Although they felt closer than ever, Zelda needed nothing more than privacy and time to herself, and Ganon could never turn down what Zelda needed. Sometimes they would pass each other on a foggy walk and their gazes would catch for a second or two. In passing, their palms would brush together in affection. And then they would let go and continue on, not to see each other for the rest of the day.

There was no question that they missed each other. They missed their old endeavors and antics, but as these days passed they felt the weight of adulthood being thrust suddenly onto their shoulders. Adulthood was something that neither one could deny was approaching rapidly now. But gray day after gray day fogged up Ganon's mind, and after awhile he wished only to abandon Kakariko's constant clouds and rain and run to the desert with his arm around Zelda's waist.

He couldn't deny that it was too fantastic to ever happen, but the idea enchanted him all the same. The idea of returning to the shimmering sand-scape brought life to his heart that dulled daily with the northern atmosphere of Kakariko Village. He imagined the feeling of shedding layers of Hylian dress for the first time in years and exposing his bare back to the sun like he once had. He envisioned Zelda in Gerudo wear, with bangles around her wrists and bare shoulders and magnificent jewels in her hair. He imagined her shining golden under the desert sun, _his _desert sun, and throwing her arms out as if to catch all of the warmth in them. No doubt the Gerudo women would admire Zelda for her strength and her fire. He would sometimes sit for hours like this, thinking about the desert and Nabooru and miles of sand, drawing upon memories of a far-off land that he could still recall in such vivid detail.

And yet here he was in north Kakariko, stuck in the gray, muddy marshland that he felt at this point had sucked out his soul completely. The overcast sky made him feel empty, for the Gerudo needed sunshine to live just as the Zora needed water or the Kokiri needed their fairies. The sun was the heart and soul of all Gerudo life, and without it, Ganon thought he might wilt.

…

When Robin thought of Anju in the days that followed, he felt something being eaten away inside of him. She kept a cucco pen, and there were several instances when he took a walk past it and caught sight of her.

Early one morning in particular, about a week after their first meeting, he noticed Anju standing—just standing—beside her pen, wrapped in a simple white shawl. It occurred to Robin suddenly that he had never seen anything quite as perfect as Anju in that moment. For the first time since their arrival, the sun peeked out from behind its shield of clouds and cast a long stream of sunlight onto Anju. She closed her eyes and smiled in the warmth, and Robin took a note of what incredible tenderness she had when she stroked the feathers of one cucco.

Feeling suddenly tranquil, as he often seemed to be around Anju, Robin leaned against the wall of the nearest building and took her in. He wanted so badly to talk to her. Instead, he only watched. A warm breeze ruffled Anju's hair and Robin smelled something sweet, like flowers. When Anju caught him looking at her, her cheeks flushed considerably. She approached him with a cucco nestled in her arms and a gentle smile on her face.

Not quite knowing exactly what to say, Robin offered her his arm.

"Would you care to take a walk?" he said without really meaning to. _I killed your cousin_, he thought, _and you don't even know_.

Anju smiled and took his arm graciously.

And thus began what Robin would consider to be the best thing ever to happen to him.

…

A knock came on the door of Impa's house the next morning. Zelda, who was asleep inside of it, opened her eyes weakly. Another knock beckoned her toward the entrance.

She drifted toward the door in her nightgown, ghostlike in her bare feet. When she opened the door, she expected another cloudy, misty morning.

Instead, a ray of sunshine made itself welcome into her place of residence.

Ganon stood before her, looking slightly uneasy. "We have to talk," he said apprehensively. "I know we haven't seen much of each other, but we have to talk now. We should take a walk and do it somewhere quiet…"

Zelda peered out at the busy village. The hum of life came from down below as housewives threw laundry over lines and children played in the grass. Robin Chilcott was nowhere to be seen.

"If we need to speak in quiet," Zelda said, "then why on earth would we do it in a busy place?"

"Not in the village," Ganon reasoned. "I thought we might go out to Hyrule Field. Just the two of us."

Zelda looked at him with wide eyes. Then she grinned. Her rebellious friend was back.

_Lover_, she reminded herself. _We're lovers now_. Her heart sped up.

…

The field was warm and the sun was hot on their backs. As opposed to the flurry of daily life in the village, Hyrule Field was barren of humans save the two that occupied it now. Ganon found a shady tree and collapsed beneath it on his back. Zelda lounged beside him and admired the speckles of golden light on his face—his brow, his cheekbones, his jaw. She really was very fond of him.

Taking a batch of white flowers, Zelda wound the stems around each other and fashioned a wreath. Then she beckoned for Ganon to sit upright. He did so and she placed the wreath on his brow, where it sat like a crown.

"There," she said softly. "Now you look just like a king."

"I am a king," he said slowly.

"I know that," Zelda answered.

Ganon took her hand. "I have to tell you something. It's going to hurt."

Zelda glanced at him. "What?"

"It's about Robin Chilcott."

"I don't want to talk about him," she said. "I'm not going to marry him. Ever. He can do all he wants to woo me, but I won't let him in. I'm sticking with you."

Ganon shook his head. "That's not what it is," he admitted. "It's actually about something much bigger. Zel… his father's the one who killed your mother."

"Are… are you sure?" stuttered the princess uncertainly. "How can you be positive? I thought she died of illness. That's what the newspaper claimed."

"_Zel_," Ganon said, pulling out a copy of the newspaper that he had kept rolled up. He pointed to something in the lower corner of the paper. Then he traced his finger over it—an insignia of a _C_.

"Oh," she said softly. "I get it now." She glanced up at Ganon. "What happened, then?"

"The old woman who performed an autopsy figured out that the queen died of a death potion. Somebody brewed it. And the gardener saw Mr. Chilcott stealing the plants used in its concoction," Ganon answered. "But it doesn't matter what the truth is. Chilcott has control over what the press lets out. It's why he wanted to stop the autopsy… so nobody would realize the queen was _killed_. Or worse, that _he _killed her."

"So we turn him in," said Zelda simply. "Right?"

"Wrong," Ganon answered. "Turning in Chilcott does nothing. I talked it over with the servants. Killing Chilcott for his crime doesn't stop Robin from trying to steal the throne somehow."

Zelda's eyebrows knit together. "Robin's innocent of any crime. His execution would be murder of a civilian."

"There's more to it than you think," Ganon claimed. Now Zelda looked downright terrified.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked.

"Robin Chilcott's already dead," Ganon said in a hushed tone. "It was me. I killed him."

And then he started to recount the events of the day before…


	7. Cold Blood

**Continuity Alert:**

**This chapter picks up a ways into Chapter 6, when Robin asks Anju to join him on a walk. Chronologically, it starts before Chapter 6 even ends. The ending of Chapter 6 is italicized.**

_"There's more to it than you think," Ganon claimed. Now Zelda looked downright terrified._

_"What are you trying to say?" she asked._

_"Robin Chilcott's already dead," Ganon said in a hushed tone. "It was me. I killed him."_

_And then he started to recount the events of the day before…_

Robin ventured out into the brisk morning air with Anju on his arm. He pressed his forearm against her side and felt her tiny heartbeat against his wrist. Again, he considered how fragile she appeared. And yet—as he considered it more—she wasn't _so _fragile. She was facing her cousin's death with remarkable strength. Robin wondered what other strengths hid beneath her thin body.

The morning was full of life. The emergence of the sun from its bank of clouds beckoned villagers outside. An old woman sat outside one house with a washtub, scrubbing laundry. Her young daughter was hanging the wet clothes over a line that stretched from one house to the next. The next house had a boy sitting in a windowsill, chucking rocks at passerby down below. A pebble landed on Robin's head and bounced off, causing Robin to glare. When Anju giggled, his scowl immediately dissipated and was replaced with a sheepish smile.

They passed a man sitting on a doorstep with a harmonica, two castle guards having a discussion about their families, a woman with a stall selling cabbages, and a rancher selling milk with his journeyman.

"Fantastic, isn't it?" said Anju. "The entire kingdom seems to have resurrected itself. As much as the queen's death was a blow… I think that Hyrule has come back to life."

Robin's grip on Anju's arm tightened. "And you?" he asked simply, his voice betraying him and wavering as he spoke.

Anju stopped walking and considered his question, and then picked up her pace once more. "I've been better," she answered honestly, "but I think I'll be okay."

"How close were you to your cousin?" asked Robin, hoping he sounded chivalrous and not desperate.

"He was like my brother," Anju answered. "Some of the townsfolk thought he and I might have married someday."

Robin nodded, pretending to be sympathetic. "Will you marry now?" he asked casually.

"Oh, I think so," Anju answered. She cast a sidelong glance at Robin, who kept his eyes firmly ahead of him.

"Perhaps we should discuss something else," Robin said nervously, sensing that Anju's thoughts were now on her cousin.

"All right, then," Anju said. She was grateful for the distraction.

Now they discussed small things—their favorite type of weather, which books they liked to read, whether they liked to play music—and some things that were just plain silly— Anju's cucco farm, Robin's poor cooking skills, a cow that once ate Anju's favorite hat…

Life was so simple around her that Robin wondered whether all regular people lived like her. He was enthralled by Anju and her description of the life she led with such pure intentions. He found very soon that with Anju, he wished to leave Hyrule Castle and all of the surrounding drama behind and stay with her. Then they might become better friends. And in the young, aspiring mind of Robin Chilcott, Anju was beautiful and simple and real. After awhile, he started wondering whether this was how Ganon had felt about the princess when he had first met her.

…

Lurking off to the side of the village, Ganon caught sight of Robin exiting his Kakariko apartment one morning in what looked like the hopes of taking a walk. Intrigued, Ganon followed him through the marketplace, staying far enough behind that he was just barely in earshot. He kept his hand on the handle of a sword, which he had taken to carrying as soon as he realized how dangerous the Chilcott family was.

Surprisingly, Robin found company in a farm girl that Ganon didn't recognize. She was tall with a shot of wine-colored hair and was attending to a cucco pen. He watched Robin lace his arm around hers, and was shocked at what he was seeing. Could it be that Robin was chasing after this girl? It seemed preposterous. Outraged that Robin could go after Zelda like he did and now take a shot at this girl, Ganon decided to follow him. (He was also filled with genuine curiosity.)

Ganon listened to them discussing the girl's cousin, who Ganon took to be deceased. He took a note of Robin's nerves, which seemed to double when the cousin was brought up.

Interesting…

Then they started having a useless, Hyrule-worthy conversation about things that Ganon considered to be quite stupid and rather pointless. They discussed weather, books, cooking, and the girl lamented about a hat she lost to a hungry cow. The girl giggled and Robin flirted shamelessly.

Ganon was starting to lose interest when something interesting happened.

The farm girl asked Robin which military organization he was with. When Robin failed to answer, the young girl's brow furrowed.

"You said you were in the military," she claimed. "You told me you learned of my cousin's death through a military report."

Robin blinked several times and scratched his face as he answered. "Oh. Oh, yes, that's right. I did. I'm, um, with the National Hyrulean… Trust. The National Hyrulean Trust."

Robin's voice cracked as he spoke. The girl looked at him with concern for a moment before returning to her usual self.

"I've never heard of it," she said. "But then again, why would I? I'm only familiar with the Royal Army of Hyrule. They occupy Kakariko, you know?"

_You're a terrible liar_, Ganon thought to himself. _Something is going on with you and her cousin._

…

Morning had worn into afternoon, and Robin was still in Anju's company. They had walked up to the windmill and were now sitting side by side.

"What's life like in the city?" asked Anju curiously.

"Busy," Robin answered. "People never stop moving there. And it's very loud. And the buildings are flimsy. But at least it never gets boring."

Anju gave a small smile. "I've always wanted to be an innkeeper," she said quietly. "The problem is… I can hardly take care of cuccos. I don't know how I'd _ever _take care of people."

"That's a nice dream," said Robin sincerely. "I think you'd be very good at it."

"I know it's small," Anju said. "It's nothing much to aspire to. With you being in the military, it probably seems pretty dumb."

"It doesn't sound dumb at all," said Robin, unable to take his eyes off of her. As an afterthought, he added, "I'm honored that you shared that with me."

Anju's face was pink as she glanced up at Robin. "How come you're always alone?" she asked. Robin looked perplexed at this.

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever I see you, you're always alone. The only person you've talked to since you came to Kakariko is me."

Robin realized with a small pang that she was right. "You're… different," he answered. "I like spending time with you."

All of these words sounded foreign rolling off of his tongue. Up until now, Robin had considered himself to be a one-man show. Now, he realized that he didn't want to be alone. He didn't _like _being alone. He liked being with Anju because he learned from her. He learned that, although her life was simple, she had everything she thought she would ever need.

But Robin realized now that, for all of his riches and fame and connections, he had been missing one thing all his life.

_Her_.

He needed the life she lived and taught more than the one his father had pursued for him. Without really thinking, Robin slipped his arm around Anju's waist. She accepted him there and leaned into his chest, toying with the golden buttons on his crimson jacket.

"We come from two different worlds," she said. A bee buzzed around their heads and Robin wished he could stay here with Anju forever, lounging in the lazy summer heat.

The moment was cut sinfully short by a holler from down below. Robin cursed loudly at the sound of it.

"Robin Chilcott!" came his father's howl at seeing his son with some farm girl. "What're you doing, lad? Get down here at once!"

For a second, Robin wanted to protest. _No_, he wanted to say. Just once, he wanted to say no.

But that was the thing about Robin.

He could never say 'no' to his father.

…

Once Robin had broken away from Anju, Ganon approached her from a ways off. She shrieked when she saw him, but settled down when it appeared he had no intentions of hurting her.

"Who was your cousin?" he asked, straight and to the point. Ganon didn't play games.

Anju paused. "The potion brewer," she answered steadily. "From Castle Town. He died in a lab accident. Robin Chilcott said so."

Ganon's eyes widened. Something devilish glistened in them.

"You've no idea, do you?" he asked incredulously. When Anju didn't answer, he took off without bidding her farewell.

He dashed through Kakariko, set on a mission. He found the stable where the castle horses were kept, found his own black stallion, and mounted it immediately. The horse raced out from the village as its rider spurred its sides.

Ganon leaned forward, urging the beast to move faster. He wanted to be to Castle Town and back before sundown. He was an excellent rider; he knew he could do it.

Everything was falling together, lining up right in his path. If everything was as he thought it was—and this trip could give him the proof—then executing Robin would be perfectly legal.

In Hyrule, any murderer was immediately put on death row. The death sentence could from there be carried out legally by anyone at any given time.

After about an hour straight of riding, the walls of Castle Town ascended from the horizon. Ganon bolted in across the drawbridge, terrorizing pedestrians as the streets cleared before him. He rode into the main square, leapt down from his horse, and found the vacant potion shop.

As he had expected, the door was bolted shut. He slammed into it several times with his shoulder but it refused to budge. Frustrated, he pulled his sword from his belt and wedged it in between the door and the frame. He unstuck the door from the frame, mustered all of his strength, and slammed into it one more time.

The door completely gave way and swung open, rising a cloud of dust in its wake. Satisfied, Ganon slipped his sword back into its sheath and entered the building.

The potion shack reeked heavily of death. Flies crawled in the corner where Ganon assumed the corpse was hidden. He lit an abandoned lantern and made his way through the dusty, abandoned building.

Eventually, he uncovered exactly what he had been looking for.

The young potion man was, indeed, hidden in the corner of the room.

"You'd think Robin would do a better job than this," Ganon said to himself, somewhat amused. The potion man was in awful condition, coated by flies as his body continued to rot. Ganon shooed them off to the side and rested his hand on the potion man's face, which was now an awful brown, leathery substance. He remembered the apothecary's procedure and went for the man's jaw. It gave a terrible _crack _as Ganon wrenched it open, examining the interior of the jaw.

Sure enough, the interior of the man's mouth resembled the queen's. It was completely black, with skin hanging in shreds.

So Robin _had _concocted the potion. And then—and this was Ganon's favorite part—he had forced the potion man to drink it. That's why Robin had been so nervous in speaking about this medicine maker; he had been the one to kill him. And this farm girl, this Anju, she hadn't any idea of the scandal.

Ganon got much more satisfaction out of this than he knew he should. But this potion man was evidence of a crime that Robin had committed in cold blood. With this as proof, Ganon could kill Robin as soon as he wanted. Not only would he be saving the throne, but he would be putting down a criminal.

Two birds with one stone.

Ganon took a quick sketch of the potion man's condition, tucked it in his pocket, and then began his long ride back to Kakariko Village.

…

Mr. Chilcott looked at his son curiously.

"So," he said calmly, "you claim that you… _like _her."

"I like Anju very much," Robin argued.

They were in Chilcott's apartment, which was very unlike other Kakariko buildings. Most Kakariko houses were furnished very simply with only the things necessary for survival. Chilcott's apartment resembled Castle Town houses, with long purple drapes and mahogany furniture.

"You have a _purpose_, Robin!" shouted Chilcott, slamming his fist on a coffee table. Robin glared at his father.

"And who are _you _to tell me what it is?" cried Robin in retaliation. "I've spent sixteen years listening to you, old man. I've finally had the chance to think for myself for a little while. Why do you have to shoot it all down?"

Chilcott went purple in the face. "_You aren't seeing the big picture_!"

"NO! _You _aren't seeing the big picture! I don't want the throne anymore. I know it's not going to make me happy if I have to sit on it all alone!"

"We've worked and worked for this, and you're throwing it all away! Why?"

Robin's face was scarlet with rage. "_You've _worked for this, not me! Whatever your reasons have been for sticking me on the throne, it's time to say goodbye! I'm leaving—for _good_—and damn it, I'll take Anju with me!"

"What has she offered you?" yelled Chilcott. "Servitude? Sex? What does a woman with no money and no connections offer to _you_?"

"FRIENDSHIP!" cried Robin. "Friendship, and nothing more! I don't want to be alone all my life—is that too much to ask?"

"I've given you everything you've ever wanted!" shouted Chilcott.

There was venom in Robin's response. "You never gave me a _thing_I wanted! You just gave me what you couldn't have yourself!"

Now it looked as if Chilcott's eyes might pop out of his head. "You—you _bastard child_, I'll—"

"I'd like to see you do _anything _without me around to do it for you!" Robin argued. He ripped his red tailcoat from his body and was left in only the cotton shirt, pants, and boots that had been under it. Throwing the symbol of his loyalty to his father over an armchair, Robin turned on his heel.

"You set one foot out of that door, young man, and you're leaving for good! I'm cutting you off! You'll be dirt poor, living in the gutter—"

"At least I know I'll be happy," said Robin simply. And then he marched straight out of the apartment and he slammed the door behind him.

…

It was late evening by now. Amber light illuminated buildings and cast long, striated shadows across the ground. Anju was just putting the last cucco in the pen as she saw a familiar form approaching.

He looked somewhat different, though. His bright crimson tailcoat was gone and his gait was far more casual than she remembered. He was flustered—she could tell he had been arguing with someone. But there was no question about it.

Robin Chilcott was a different man than he had been that morning.

Anju wound her shawl closer about her shoulders as Robin came close. He stood directly in front of her and put his hands in his pockets, a smile on his face as he looked at Anju. He was perhaps six inches or so taller than her and he was delighted by how easy it was to look straight into her eyes. He wondered what Ganon saw in a person like Zelda, who was tied down to one life while he was tied to another.

He valued the incredible freedom that he had given himself. He felt like a slave free of his master, and he knew that today—right here, right now—this was when his life was going to begin. And he was going to spend it with Anju.

Robin offered his arm. Anju took it by force of habit.

"It's getting late, you know," Anju said. "It will be dark soon."

"I've always wanted to walk at night," Robin said. Anju tossed her head back and laughed.

"Only this morning I thought you shy and awkward," she admitted.

"Yeah," said Robin. "So did I."

As they passed the stable on their lap around the village, Robin pulled a small envelope out from his pocket and approached the stall where Ganon usually kept his horse. He took the envelope and rested it on a shelf toward the back of the stall where he knew Ganon would find that.

"What's that?" asked Anju. Robin only smiled.

"A cease-fire of sorts, I suppose," said Robin. "Shall we go out to the field? Zora River isn't far outside the village. We could easily make the walk."

"I heard there are monsters in the field," Anju countered.

"I'll take care of you," Robin claimed. Anju pressed her weight against him.

"I know," she whispered gently.

…

When Ganon returned to the village on his horse, he found something waiting for him in the stable. It was a crumpled envelope, slightly damp from sweat. His horse watched curiously as Ganon looked at the envelope cluelessly.

He flipped the envelope over to the front and scowled at the three words scrawled upon it.

_To Ganon_

_-Robin_

Ganon didn't need to think twice. Aggravated at what was probably some type of pathetic threat, Ganon crushed the envelope in his palm and then shoved it into his pocket.

He didn't care what Robin had to say. Tonight, it ended. Tonight, Robin would die.

Ganon took off through the village, which was now dark and rather empty. He followed a pair of footprints—Robin's footprints—down a pathway that led straight out of the village. He kept one hand on his sword as he ran. He left the village and followed the boot tracks to a tree, where the boots had then been abandoned. The footprints that continued from there showed evidence of bare feet.

Ganon followed the prints carefully until he reached the river. A ways down the riverbank was the snowy white bridge, and standing on the bridge were two silhouettes. Ganon watched them inquisitively; they were leaning over the railing and pointing down to the foaming, deathly rapids. Robin's image was unmistakable against the pale moon. The other figure was undoubtedly that of the farm girl. Their hands were entwined and Ganon thought he had never seen more the icon of freedom than what he now laid eyes on.

He almost felt guilty as he considered just how close Robin was to happiness. But images flashed in his head as he heard Robin calling him 'gypsy' time and time again. Ganon's grip on the handle of his sword tightened.

It was almost like Robin sensed him approaching. Ganon saw Robin's shoulders go tense as he approached. He snuck up behind the pair and cleared his throat.

Robin nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled around, shocked to find himself in Ganon's colossal shadow. There was a look of madness in Ganon's eyes as he loomed over the pair.

"Did- didn't you get my letter?" asked Robin. Ganon shrugged.

"Yes," he said simply, recalling the crushed envelope in his pocket that he hadn't bothered to open.

"I'm glad to hear it," Robin said. His shoulders relaxed a little.

"Yes, I'm very sure you are." There was hostility in Ganon's tone. "By the by, you should stop leaving your garbage about in places where it doesn't belong. Trash belongs in the trash bin, or somebody's bound to find it."

Robin looked at Ganon for a few seconds, absolutely clueless. Then his face contorted as he caught on.

"You… you know."

They were talking about the potion man now, and both men knew it.

"I'm not _such _a bad man," Ganon said slowly. "I _could _kill you here and now. It would be perfectly legal, you know."

Anju frowned. "What? What's going on? Robin… what's he talking about?"

"Keep out of this, farm girl," Ganon warned. His tone was so vicious that Anju took care not to disregard the caveat. She took several steps back.

"I'll give you one chance. I'm the only one that knows. We're dueling. I win—the death sentence is carried out. No harm done. You win—the evidence is buried with me, and you're a free man."

Robin looked venomous. "Very well, then," he said. "Hope your little princess doesn't miss you."

"Don't count your cuccos before they hatch," said Ganon in retaliation. Anju was greatly offended by his sarcasm.

Ganon rolled up his sleeves, and Robin did the same. Then they stood and watched each other for a few seconds.

Robin made the first move.

He mustered all of his strength, which wasn't very much at all, and rammed himself against Ganon. He locked his arms around his neck and dragged him off of the bridge and onto the riverbank, where they quarreled at the border of the water.

Ganon struggled until Robin's hold on him faltered and he slipped free. Seconds, and he had launched himself at Robin. They were immediately thrust to the ground, Ganon keeping one knee on the other man's chest in order to keep him down. His hands were immediately at Robin's throat, squeezing as hard as he could. But Robin hadn't foregone an All-Boys Secondary School without learning how to fight back, and his flailing hand retrieved his knife from his belt and pulled it out. It glinted in the moonlight, and Ganon's eyes widened at the sight.

He only squeezed harder.

Robin, filled with rage, stabbed the gleaming dagger into Ganon's shoulder. The pressure on Robin's throat decreased as Ganon's left arm lost its strength.

"_I won't lose to you!" _cried the Gerudo through gritted teeth. He pulled Robin up by the throat and slammed him into a nearby tree, filled with incredible pleasure as he heard a horrible _crack _occur in Robin's skull. With the cunning skill of a trained thief, Ganon swiped the stiletto from Robin's rapidly loosening grasp and clutched it in his own.

He then turned on his heel and drove Robin down into the river. Despite Robin's desperate and somewhat pathetic defensive moves, Ganon was quick with his hands and forced his opponent's head underwater. He pulled him back up for a second before thrusting him back into the water. Again and again, Robin's petrified face disappeared behind the glassy sheet as ice cold water rushed in front of it.

Robin sputtered and coughed until he stopped flailing and only moaned in protest, but then Ganon whirled around and smashed Robin into the damp riverbank, falling over and colliding into him. He made sure to stay on top, one arm pinning Robin down and the other holding the knife.

Robin was beginning to tear up, absolutely petrified.

"N-no… please, I-I'm begging you! _Don't kill me!_"

At least, that's what Ganon thought he said. Maybe it was just what he wanted to hear.

And at that moment, Ganon sidled the blade up to Robin's throat, grinning like a madman.

He mocked the feeling that came next—the slight vibration that ran down the handle as Ganon broke the skin just beneath the spot where Robin's ear met his jaw. He was slow for a second, continuously sliding the blade down to where he thought it would hurt the most— right below where the jaw was hinged.

Now he turned to Anju, who was watching with terror. She shook violently, her heartbeat visible in her chest.

"He's yours," said Ganon quietly. "As much as I want to kill him, the right to do it is _technically _yours…"

Anju fought back tears. "What did he ever do?"

Robin's eyelids fluttered weakly. Ganon grinned.

"Tell her, Chilcott," he said, and he allowed the knife to flirt with Robin's jaw for a few more seconds. "Tell her what you did. She deserves to know how much you hurt her."

Robin turned his head slowly on the bank so that he could make out Anju's figure. _So pretty_, he lamented. _So pretty and young_.

Anju tread over slowly. She sank to her knees at Ganon's side.

"Robin?" she rested a cold hand on his forehead and brushed the hair from his eyes. "Tell me, Robin."

Robin froze. Time stopped as Robin hesitated, and then he finally spoke.

His voice was weak. "It was me," he said. "Anju, it was me. It was always me. I'm not in the military. It wasn't an accident. I killed your cousin… with the knife that's about to kill me."

Anju looked at him in disbelief.

"_You_… It was you all along… I've been so blind." Now she did cry, and shamelessly at that.

Ganon took her hand and rested it beside his own on the dagger. She drew it away instantly as if it had burned her skin.

"I won't kill him," she said. "He's a good man. He made a mistake. But I forgive him." She looked up at Ganon pleadingly. "Don't kill him, please! The law says that by granting him amnesty, the sentence can be spared. Well… I'm pardoning him now! Pull that knife away! It's illegal, I said!"

"Yes," said Ganon. "But here's the thing." He looked Anju dead in the eye. "I still want to kill him."

And then, so quick that it barely seemed real, he drove the blade up into Robin's skull. Robin moaned weakly as blood came surging out of the wound in his chin. Only moments later and he had been stabbed again, pain searing up his spine as the knife met his diaphragm.

He stammered incoherent threats and sorrows for a solid minute before he stiffened up and finally stopped moving completely.

He was dead, and Ganon had killed him.

Anju looked at Ganon. "You're unforgivable," she said slowly. "He took away one man that I loved, and then you took away _him_! Now I have nobody left!"

"Fine!" howled Ganon, standing up in rage. "I should think you would _avenge _your family's death, not support it!"

Anju stood up. She matched Ganon in height.

"You may not realize it, but in this act, you have become just as much the murderer that he was! You're no better than Robin Chilcott. You're _evil_, gypsy!"

"Very well, then!" cried Ganon. "If you miss him so much, then drown with him!"

Anju looked at Ganon in horror. She fell and clasped her arms around Robin's corpse. "You… you wouldn't."

"I think I've made myself clear," said Ganon. He hoisted Robin's limp form over his shoulder and carried it to the river. Anju launched herself in Ganon's direction, but it was too late. Robin fell into the rapids, where his body was dragged underwater for eternity.

Anju screamed, raged, kicked. And it was then that Ganon did the first truly _evil _thing in his life.

He took hold of Anju, who was so thin and frail, and hurled her into the rapids. The current carried her away before Ganon's eyes and smashed her into a rock, where her skull left a crimson stain.

And then she submerged to join Robin.

There was a bloodstain on the ground beside Ganon's feet. He squatted next to it and rested his palm on it, watching the moonlight dance on the water as it rushed by. He felt a great hollow sensation in his stomach, and yet he felt _thrilled_. Evil, Anju had called it. And yet the word seemed so harsh.

He stared blankly ahead until the sun rose. Crows called back and forth as morning arrived on its usual schedule. The daylilies began to open as the world came to life.

Absentmindedly, Ganon washed the blood from his hands. He looked at the bloodstain Anju had left on the rock in the distance. He considered how he had murdered two people in cold blood.

He remembered Robin's letter.

Ganon's hands were shaking as he tore the envelope open and pulled out a handwritten note.

_Ganon-_

_I am offering a ceasefire. I know we have caused each other grief, but it's time for that to end. I hope you can forgive me._

_I have broken the bonds between the princess and me. If you love her, then pursue her. I can only wish you happiness._

_-Robin T. Chilcott_

Ganon looked over the letter in horror. And then he ran without stopping. _What have I done?_ he mourned.

He needed to see Zelda. He needed to talk with her, discuss his options. He ran into the village and found Zelda. She dressed, and he beckoned her out to the field. They sat and talked for a few minutes before Ganon finally raised the issue of Robin. He hinted for a few moments at Robin's crime, but Zelda only grew more confused and terrified.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked.

"Robin Chilcott's already dead," Ganon said in a hushed tone. "It was me. I killed him."

She looked at him in horror. And then he recounted every last detail of the past twenty-four hours—stalking Robin, finding the dead potion man, putting together the pieces, and then finally killing Robin and Anju.

Zelda's tiny hand found her lips and covered them in disbelief.

"Sweet Nayru… you killed them. You killed people. Ganon, they'll put you in the dungeons! You'll be the most terrified person in Hyrule!"

"Nobody knows," said Ganon, his voice hollow. "Nobody knows but you and me." He looked up at her in desperation. "You once told me that if we couldn't be together, we'd run. I know the circumstances are different now, but the answer is still the same. I have to run. I'm going back to the desert." Ganon was surprised at these words. He had not expected them.

Zelda looked at him skeptically. "You would run from the law?"

"If only to stop myself from killing more people. This hasn't made me any happier of a person. If anything, it has hurt me. Zelda… I'm frightened."

The princess considered these words. Then she said, "Fine. Run, then. But you're not running alone. I'm coming with you."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Run away from the castle? Your family, they've been heartbroken once already…"

"I don't care," Zelda answered.

"That would be running away from home."

Zelda drew Ganon into her arms. "You _are _my home," she said. "All things considered, you're not such a bad person. You've made mistakes, and I know that they frighten you. I know that you're in pain. But I'm not letting you go."

Ganon looked at her. "I love you so much," he finally said.

"Get your horse," she whispered. "Let's go now, while the day is still young. How far is it? The desert?"

"A day's ride, if we go as fast as we can," Ganon answered.

Zelda took his hand. "We'll go faster than that," she promised. And then, for the first time, she pulled Ganon close and kissed him.

And the golden desert which she craved was already in her soul.

**I was hoping it would be shorter.**

**I trust the continuity issues didn't throw everybody off. This chapter recalls the events leading up to Robin's death, ending at about the same place chronologically as chapter 6 did.**

**I know that the Robin arc (which was covered in over 17,000 words) was long and overdone and had a ton of whacky characters, but it's all over now. I'm officially ending it… HERE. It's time to get back to the desert, now, where a whole new conflict is about to pop up for our favorite royal couple.**

**The next chapter (or two) will take us completely out of Hyrule, where- for the first time- **_**Zelda**_** will become the fish out of water. We'll get some new characters (Nabooru) and some of Ganon's silliest female admirers will cause some awkward love triangles. Or squares. Or even pentagons.**

**Thanks to everyone who's stuck around for the entire story so far. No, seriously. The past 3 chapters in particular have had some really pivotal moments for the characters— mainly who they are, and their relationships with one another. **

**As usual, I ask for your thoughts and feedback. PLEASE don't hesitate to tell me if something needs improvement. **

**As much as I look forward to continuing, I will be taking a few days off to re-coop. My upcoming hiatus will be short-lived and I will return with a new chapter in a week or two. Until then, feel free to explore the rest of my work, which can be found via my profile page.**

**Furthermore, if you have any of your own **_**Zelda**_** fanfiction to share, say so in your review. I would love to see your takes on the **_**Zelda **_**Universe while I'm being lazy and not writing more chapters like I oughtta be. :P**

**-ColleenTJ**


	8. Desert Heat

"Zel. Zel, wake up. Let's keep going."

Zelda's lashes fluttered open wearily. She was laying in the grass in the middle of Hyrule Field, her head resting on a rock. She sat up and looked around.

It was early morning. Ganon was packing up the camp they had set up the night before. Their supplies, which were few, had been gathered together and attached to the horse's saddle. The horse itself stood upright, looking around lazily.

The young princess stood and brushed off her dress, combing her fingers through her hair and hoping that she didn't look too tired. It was August, and the scorching sun had already turned her forehead and nose bright pink.

"How close are we?" she asked, moseying over to Ganon's side and giving the horse a pat on the head.

"Closer than you think," Ganon answered, pulling Zelda close and kissing her atop the head. "You see those hills? Gerudo Valley's just on the other side. If we keep riding, we'll make it there by noon. But Zelda… life there, it's very different. The women don't act and dress like the girls in Hyrule do. There's a lot more life to it, I think. And I don't know how they'll receive us, either. I mean, I'm sure they think I've been dead for years. To suddenly return…"

"We'll face it together," Zelda promised him. "Just like we always have. Right?"

Ganon said nothing. Then he said quietly, "We'll try."

Zelda did not know what this meant, but she trusted Ganon with all her heart and did not dwell on it for too long.

He helped her up onto the horse and then mounted it behind her before they set off at a gallop.

"You'll be home soon," said Zelda, which made Ganon smile.

"You know," Ganon said, "there's more than one reason I'm going back. As much as I want to return, I do have one intention in particular…"

"And what's that?" asked Zelda. Ganon sighed.

"I mean to take back the throne," he stated. "I mean to become king. Once I am king, Zelda, you and I will hold an equal status in society. I won't be below you anymore. And then we…"

"And then we what?"

"And then we can get married. Legally. There will be nothing holding us back."

Zelda gave a small smile of disbelief. "You… you mean to marry me?"

Ganon's smile was pure. "Only if you mean to accept."

Zelda blushed. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

…

"Goats? What on Earth do we need with goats?"

"Queen Nabooru," said one of the Gerudo to the befuddled queen, "I don't know myself. A shepherd came by from the Western desert with an entire herd of them, and he wanted to offer you three of them."

Nabooru was standing in her favorite room of the Gerudo fortress. Surrounding her were three goats, each of which seemed completely at a loss for something to do. One was eating a palm tree in the corner, while another nipped curiously at her hand. The third walked in continuous circles, apparently having no decent place to go.

"What did he think I would want with three goats?"

"Oh, don't ask me," the Gerudo woman replied. "I haven't a clue what he had in mind."

Nabooru sighed. "Very well. Take them to the butcher, why don't you? I'm sure she'd be willing to make them into something decent."

"Oh, no, Your Highness. The shepherd said not to eat them. I think he was beginning to wonder whether you were getting lonely without a king."

Nabooru's eyes narrowed. "I need no king! I can take care of this valley as well as any man. Just because my brother was killed at an early age does _not _mean that I am helpless."

The woman was unable to respond because, at that moment, another woman darted into the room.

"Nabooru! Your Highness! I have a message to deliver!"

The queen turned her heavily-lidded eye upon the newcomer. "What? What is it?"

"A man is at the fortress gates. He has arrived with a Hyrulean woman and requests an audience. Should I let him in?"

Nabooru considered it for a moment. Then she nodded. "Allow him in, yes. Tell him to bring this woman with him."

"Very well, madam." The messenger bowed and scurried away.

The second goat began to chew on Nabooru's pants. She groaned.

"Get- rid- of- these- damned- goats!" she cried, shaking the goat off. The third, which was still walking in circles, gave a confused "Ba-a-a!" The first goat ripped an entire branch off of a palm tree and began to drag it across the floor.

"I'll do my best, Your Highness," the woman said. She rounded up the goats with a rope and took them outside.

Nabooru followed her out to the front of the fortress. It was a blistering desert day, causing Nabooru's thoughts to grow hazy.

Several minutes later, the silhouette of a horse came from the distance. The rider dismounted and then took a girl's hand, helping her down from the steed. The girl looked awfully young and out of place, dressed in a frock that was undoubtedly Hyrulean.

They ascended the steps to meet Nabooru, who scrutinized them for several seconds.

They looked as if they had been travelling for several days. The woman was young- perhaps thirteen- in a simple blue dress to match her tired eyes. Her fair skin and hair were something Nabooru had not seen in a long time.

Then, her eyes travelled to the girl's companion. She took in the tall, masculine figure, the handsome, dark skin, the red hair which was in color so much like her own…

"Ganondorf," she said simply. "Oh, Goddess… Ganondorf, is it you?"

Ganon gave a short nod.

Nabooru's face lit up for a second. "I can't believe it. When they caught you that day in the market, I was sure they would execute you! What happened? Did you escape? You must tell me everything."

"I will tell you it all later," Ganon said. "Simply put, I met a friend. I was taken into Hyrule Castle and treated as their guest. Almost like I was part of the family."

"Hyrule Castle?" said Nabooru incredulously. "Preposterous. Who would do that for you?" And then her eyes fell again on the girl. "Princess Zelda?"

Now Zelda smiled and nodded in response.

"Yes, it is me. But I believe _I _am the one who must call you _Your Highness_, Queen Nabooru." She curtseyed.

"This is all very much to take in," Nabooru said. "My brother, returning home after years in Hyrule, and with him—Princess Zelda. Did you run? Tell me everything."

With that, Ganon and Zelda briefly recounted the tale of how they had met, the way they fell in love, the crime Ganon had committed, and their escape to Gerudo Valley.

Nabooru looked shocked. "Why are you here, then?" she looked at Ganon. "Well? Do you mean to stay?"

"I mean to become king."

"You—you mean to be king?"

"I do," Ganon answered. "Becoming King—_officially _becoming king—would put me in a place in society equal to the one that Zelda holds. If I were to become king, I could… someday… marry her."

Nabooru scrutinized Ganon.

"You simply plan to… waltz in, so to speak, and take the throne from me? As children, we always fought over it. I've planned great things for Gerudo Valley. I'm not so sure I'm ready to give that power up."

Ganon shook his head. "It would only be for a little while," he assured her. "All I'd need is the crown. I'll let you make all the decisions. All I've really got to do is put my signature on the papers."

"That's not _all _you have to put your signature on," said Nabooru casually. "Ganondorf… you _do _know what being king entails, don't you? Besides ownership of the Valley, there are precepts that the king is expected to follow through with."

Ganon nodded slowly. "I'm… familiar."

Zelda looked very confused. "What are you talking about?" she asked. Ganon looked at Nabooru for guidance.

"Nothing, yet," she answered. Nabooru turned to Zelda. "There's a reason the only man is made king," she explained. Something still refused to click in Zelda's mind.

"You and I will discuss it later," Ganon said. Zelda gave a short nod.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, of course. Later."

Now Ganon turned his eye back to his sister. "The power goes to you," he reminded her. "The title goes to me."

Nabooru seemed to consider it. "I'll bring up the appeal to my advisors," she finally said. "I'll talk it over with them. It's more likely than not we'll need you as king. I'll send you a memo as soon as we've reached a conclusion."

Ganon nodded to convey that he understood. Then, he turned to Zelda. "We're one step closer," he told her.

…

The arched mirror was dusty from years without use. Ganon's quarters had been long abandoned, but he felt as soon as he returned that he had never left.

Ganon dressed in what all Gerudo men had worn. He forsook a shirt and left his back bare, wearing nothing but a simple pair of black pants and sandals. He wore gold bands around each arm and the women cut his long hair, which fell around his face in untidy strands, into shorter, shaggier waves.

"I feel like a man again," he said to the woman who was helping him dress. "In Hyrule, they dressed me in stockings and put bows in my hair. They even sprayed me with perfume."

The woman chuckled. "Even _we _do not put bows in _our _hair."

A small smile crossed Ganon's face. "That's not to say they weren't good to me," Ganon countered. His face fell a little. "Some of the Hyruleans were very kind. I do feel bad for leaving a number of them behind… But at the same time, there are some I am glad to be rid of."

"I hope you don't mean me." Zelda had snuck up on them and was standing in the doorway, freshly dressed in the Gerudo style—a white top that exposed her stomach and matching pants. Her shoes curled at the end, and she was adorned in jewels from head to toe. Her long hair was pulled back like the other women's, and fell down her back in its natural curls.

Ganon stared adoringly.

"It's not quite like Hyrule," said Zelda simply.

Ganon grinned. "That's okay, right?"

Zelda's answer was interrupted by an arrow that whizzed past her ear and landed in the wall behind her. Attached to the arrow was a piece of paper with a note etched in red ink.

"Sorry," Ganon said, yanking the arrow from the wall. "Nabs and I like trying to kill each other when we communicate."

"What does it say?" asked Zelda, peeking over his shoulder.

"_Ganondorf_," read the Gerudo prince himself, "_My advisors and I discussed your position in the government and have reached a mutual agreement. You will be granted the kingship as long as you leave a considerable amount of power to me—we will rule side by side as king and queen. Naturally, however, you are expected to fulfill your duties as king. Our race depends on you. To abandon the Valley without permission will be considered abdication of the throne. Do so, and I will be forced to void your title._

_"For the meanwhile, let Princess Zelda know that the Fortress is her home as long as she should choose to stay. She is welcome to use our facilities as she pleases. _

_"You will assume the throne in two weeks, as soon as you turn sixteen. Use the following days at your disposal, as it is highly unlikely you will ever see any more like them._

_-Nabs_

_P.S.- We have goats now. Beware."_

Ganon turned to Zelda and grinned weakly. She only tapped her foot in return.

"How long will we stay in Gerudo Valley?" she asked suddenly. "Will we ever go back to Hyrule?"

"I plan to return as soon as my duties here are done."

"And when will that be?"

"Hopefully not too long," Ganon answered. "I'd like to have you back before you turn of age. Listen," he said, "I want you to enjoy yourself as much as possible while you're here. The women want you to be happy. They really do. And in the months to come, I'm not always going to be around for you."

"I understand," said Zelda. "But… but we _will _be married."

"We will," said Ganon, kissing her forehead. "I promise, we will."

…

The next few days required spoon-feeding daily routine to Zelda. She had never seen such energy in a group of people before. Gerudo Valley was always moving. There were no sitting rooms, because nobody ever sat. Nobody played cards or read books here—they spent all hours of the day accompanying an active mind with an active body.

She soon became aware of exactly what rivalry Ganon and Nabooru sported. Although friendly, Zelda did not doubt that one would be willing to kill the other without a second's consideration. They loved playing tricks on one another. Nabooru awoke one morning to find a cow blocking her path out of the fortress, with a note from Ganon that claimed the cow refused to "Moo-ve out of her way." That evening, Nabooru spiked Ganon's wine with sleeping powder and he fell asleep in his plate.

The fortress became a favorite place of Zelda's. She went for daily walks throughout the blazing streets, almost always with Ganon by her side. Rumors spread like wildfire about the Princess of Hyrule and her placement in Gerudo Valley. Ganon made it quite clear from an early point that Zelda's presence in the Valley was to be kept secret from those outside, in order to keep anyone from Hyrule from looking for her. Furthermore, visitors from Hyrule were not permitted into the fortress. Zelda was to be top secret.

On one such walk, Ganon and Zelda were discussing the throne of Gerudo Valley when Ganon gave a sudden outcry. He was drenched from head to toe in a thick white substance.

He glared above him, where Nabooru was a shadow against the white-hot sun. She was holding a large wooden tub, now empty, under her arm.

"What is all this?" cried Ganon, wiping his hands on his pants.

"Goat milk!" Nabooru replied. Ganon was livid.

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"Revenge!" The queen howled in delight. "Nabooru—3, Ganondorf—1."

Ganon's brow furrowed. "3? You've played 3 tricks now? What was number 2?"

"That's a surprise," Nabooru answered, winking. She gave a savage call and leapt away over the rooftops.

Sure enough, when Ganon returned to his chamber that evening, there was a goat asleep in his bed.

Seething with anger, Ganon threatened to kill the goat and hang it from Nabooru's ceiling. This upset Zelda, who found the creature to be quite cute and claimed it had only been "Keeping Ganon's bed warm for him."

Gerudo Valley never failed to deliver the shenanigans that Zelda had come to expect of it. It was a place all its own, home to the mischief that Zelda had grown up so well acquainted with. And for awhile, it was an Eden—innocent and wild, much like Zelda herself.

But sooner or later, everything must go to waste. And this was no exception.

Ganon had been keeping a secret from Zelda. One he did not want to share. And on the day that Ganon officially took the throne, everything was revealed.

"Now that you're sixteen," Nabooru said to Ganon, who was alone in the fortress with his sister and Zelda, "you can assume your duties properly."

"What _are _these duties that everyone speaks of?" asked Zelda. "We keep saying 'duties' this and 'duties' that. What does it all mean?"

Ganon was hesitant in answering. After a few seconds, Nabooru nodded and he took Zelda's hand.

"It's the king's job to continue the race- well, the pure-born race, anyway."

Zelda looked at him. There was a second where she still appeared confused, and then her eyes widened as she realized his implication.

"You don't mean…"

"It is Ganondorf's 'duty,' so to speak, to populate Gerudo Valley with its next generation of women," Nabooru said. "He must father the children of a number of different women if he hopes to continue with his position. After a few years at it, he can leave a son—just one son—to continue his job."

"I thought... but... does that make you all _related_-"

"Well, we're _supposed_ to be," Nabooru scoffed snarkily. "That's not to say _everybody _here belongs to the old king; if we really did, who knows what sort of position we'd be in?" She smirked. "It's more ceremonial than anything."

"But I'm doing it so I can marry you," Ganon quickly supplied. He turned to Zelda desperately.

"But Ganon," Zelda said. She'd expected a clash between cultures, but nothing like this. Polygamy- if this even _was _polygamy- _gods..._

"Ganondorf," Ganon countered. "Call me Ganondorf. You might as well. I _am _king now, and that is the title one takes on when he rules the Valley."

Zelda took on a tone of anger. "I will call you Ganon," she insisted. "You're not _my _king."

She started to walk away. Ganon tried to stop her, but she turned the corner and disappeared.

_Women_, he thought. _I was raised by them, and they __**still **__make no sense._

…

In Gerudo Valley, the First Mother of the new generation was slated and then elected by the generation before them. In the case of the current generation of women, the elected First Mother was none other than Aveil— Nabooru's second in command. It was no surprise that she had been chosen. Aveil was easily the most beautiful of all the Gerudo and had a way of seducing every man she crossed.

One morning, an arrow whizzed over Ganon's head bearing a message from Nabooru.

_Aveil says she's ready when you are._

A group of women readied Ganon's chamber for the upcoming night while he readied himself. He watched the sun set as he waited for Aveil to arrive.

Zelda stumbled in on his waiting quite by accident, wondering what all of the commotion was.

Ganon was reluctant to answer, but didn't want to keep secrets from her. He told her of his plan to spend the night with Aveil. Zelda looked shocked.

"You needn't have told me," she said simply. Ganon scowled.

"I didn't want to be dishonest," he admitted. "I thought you'd only be angrier if you learned of it secondhand."

"I'm not angry," Zelda said with an air of diffidence. "Not with you, anyway. I—I know you can't help it. And I'm sorry. But I just get the feeling that this will turn out badly. I feel like there's this… oncoming catastrophe." She paused, and then sat down next to Ganon. "I've been having dreams," she admitted.

Ganon gave an awkward smile. "Don't we all?"

"Not like mine," Zelda argued. "Mine are trying to tell me something. They're trying to tell me something about _you_."

Ganon froze. "And exactly what occurs in these dreams?"

"There's this… this _rock. _And you're all chained up to it. In my dream, there are people trying to execute you. I just don't understand why. I don' know what you've done. And I wonder… what if I'm seeing the future? What if it's some type of prophecy?"

Ganon could merely shake his head. "People can't see the future," he said. "That would be like magic, like sorcery. Everybody knows that magic doesn't exist."

"But—but Ganon—what if magic _does _exist? What if we've been missing something? Maybe I am prophetic. What if all of the stories we heard growing up, the ones about fairies and goddesses… what if they're real?"

Ganon touched her face with extreme tenderness. "I'm not in danger," he promised her. "You and I have nothing to fear. We're stronger than everyone around us. We always have been."

Zelda lowered her eyes and gave a short nod. Ganon leaned in towards her and pulled her into a kiss, which was long and sweet.

The door opened suddenly on them and the pair tore apart.

"Oh," said Aveil in her smooth, pearly voice. "I didn't know we needed an… _appointment_." She glanced over to the bed which had been made up in the corner. Seeing that the arrangement was untouched, she sighed. Then she turned her glare on the Hyrulean girl.

"Do you plan on staying long?" she inquired. Zelda looked shocked at the manner with which she was addressed. Then she scurried from the chamber soundlessly, slamming the door behind her.

"You didn't have to be so rude," Ganon said defensively. Aveil drew the curtains shut with a mere shrug.

"Don't tell me those sleazy Hyruleans didn't treat you the same way."

"Don't call them that," Ganon growled.

"What," asked Aveil unflappably, "sleazy? Didn't they call you gypsy? I can't imagine you took that very well yourself."

"The Hyruleans were very good to me. They were better than you could possibly imagine."

"Mmm," was Aveil's response. Without warning, she pressed her body against Ganon's. He felt his body temperature skyrocket. "All of them?" she asked.

"The princess made me feel very good," Ganon responded dumbly.

"Well," purred Aveil, "I'm about to make you feel better."

Without warning, she threw her arms around his neck and dragged him into a kiss. Her force was compelling, far beyond what Zelda's kisses were—gentle and loving. This kiss meant nothing but business. Aveil was here on a mission.

Ganon felt a surge of guilt as he considered the princess he was about to betray by laying with this other woman. He knew that now was an awful time to consider the Hyrulean princess, and yet she kept returning to mind throughout the ordeal that followed. From the time Aveil first towed Ganon down upon the mattress with her to the time spent afterwards laying upon it in exhaustion, Ganon wondered how he could ever make this up to Zelda.

Nine months later, his first child was born to Aveil. The child, a girl, was celebrated as the first child of the new generation. Named Jaclyn by her mother, Ganon saw the child once before turning away from it. This daughter of his had been created out of sin—this he knew. In Hyrule, children were only born to people who were married. Otherwise, the child was considered a bastard. Perhaps if Ganon had never fallen in love with Zelda, this act would not have been sinful to him. But he _had_, and Ganon grieved for the fact that his child could not have been born to the Hyrulean princess.

He knew that what he was doing was wrong.

And yet, in the months that followed, there was nothing to stop him from becoming involved with a number of other women. The exact number of women Ganon slept with even _he_ lost track of, to the point where it felt less like scandal and more like everyday life.

But as he pursued this life, albeit with some discretion, he began to develop an attraction to it. He started learning how to push thoughts of Zelda to the side when he was doing his sentence with other women. More than once he turned to Aveil, to the point where he had fathered not one but two of her children. With other women he had a number of daughters, all of which survived. The six children that had been born male had been left out in the desert to die almost immediately after their birth.

Zelda was not blind to the fact that Ganon was beginning to push her away. She noticed his involvement with other women. She knew that every night he welcomed someone else into his bed, although she herself was never invited.

One afternoon, when she thought Ganon might be free, she went to meet him.

Quite to her dismay, she found a different sight upon opening his door.

He was in the middle of an affair with a young Gerudo girl that Zelda had seen once or twice patrolling the fortress. Zelda gave a small shriek of surprise at having invaded their privacy, at which the girl startled and pulled away from Ganon. She pulled a pillow over her chest as she glared at Zelda.

"Have you no shame?" she cried. "Leave us alone!"

The desert king took over. "Let me handle this," he said, which infuriated Zelda immensely. Drawing a robe around his shoulders, Ganon pursued the Hyrulean girl out into the abandoned corridor.

"Do you need something?" he asked. Zelda couldn't tell whether he was irritated and trying to get rid of her or genuinely concerned.

"Yes," she answered. "_You_. We need to talk."

"Now?"

"Unless you'd rather return to _her_," Zelda answered vehemently. "This has been going on for far too long. You said it would only be a matter of time before we were married."

"I did. And?"

"It's _been _a matter of time! You've had more women in your bed than there are women in Castle Town. And…"

"What?"

"It's not like I've even been one of them. This isn't right, Ganon. This is scandal. What will it take for you to realize that?"

Ganon looked at her. The anger was mutual in both bodies.

"What I do is out of duty to my people," he reminded her. Zelda's eyes fell to the floor.

"You've said that too many times. It doesn't mean anything anymore."

"It was never _supposed _to mean anything," Ganon argued. "None of this _does _mean anything."

"Not to you!" Zelda shouted. "Did you ever consider what it meant to _me_, though? What you do with everybody else here… someday, I might have liked that for us."

"And what? You don't anymore?"

Zelda threw her arms into the air in exasperation. "You're… you're too far gone, Ganon. You're _damaged_. Don't you realize that I'm not a little girl anymore? I'm fifteen, Ganon. I'll be of age in only a year, now."

Ganon looked over her slowly. It was no lie—Zelda had grown. She had become beautiful. Her body had filled out into the form of a woman, a thing the princess had once feared would never come to fruition. Where had Ganon been that he had missed this transformation? What else would he miss if he continued to ignore Zelda in this way?

Zelda rested a hand on his forearm, and Ganon leaned in towards her. His forehead rested against hers, and he could feel her eyelashes brush his cheeks.

"You mean more to me," Ganon said, "than every girl in Gerudo Valley combined."

"Even Aveil?" asked Zelda. Ganon paused. "Well?"

"Yes," Ganon answered. But the hiatus in conversation had been enough to throw the tone of the conversation off. Zelda couldn't tell whether or not Ganon had been lying.

"I don't want to let you go," she said finally, "but I'm starting to think it's time."

Ganon's grip on her hands tightened. "Please don't go," he begged. "We're so close to being married. Nabooru said it will only be a little while longer. Then maybe I can leave a son with Gerudo Valley and I'll be free to pursue you again."

Zelda could hardly trust him, and yet she nodded. "Very well," she said.

"I must return to Laberu," Ganon said, referring to the girl in the bed.

He returned to his chamber, shutting Zelda out once again.

…

For some reason, Zelda felt that the conversation had left her even worse off than before she pursued it. In a rather poor mood, she ventured out to find Nabooru. She wanted to take the situation up with the desert Queen herself.

The late afternoon sun left the desert in a blaze of heat. Sweat rolled off of Zelda's forehead as she made the trek across the fortress to the room where Nabooru spent most of her time.

The room was hot and stuffy, with half a dozen tables inside for studying. As Zelda had predicted, Nabooru was sitting at one of them. She was observing a scroll. Zelda waited for her to finish reading.

When Nabooru had come to terms with the message written upon the parchment, she gave a sigh and rolled it up. She carelessly tossed the scroll at a goat standing in the corner, who devoured the paper without so much as a second thought.

She lifted her heavy lids to observe Zelda. A small smile crossed her face when she saw the girl.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked almost a little too kindly. Zelda gave a delicate nod.

"It's—it's about Ganon. I want to know how soon he can end his duties as king and leave an heir. We want to get married, you see, and we want to do it soon."

Nabooru scrutinized the princess. "You still plan on marrying?"

"I don't see why you sound so surprised," Zelda countered. "This entire ordeal has been no more than a vibrant act. You know that better than anyone. He wants the kingship to make our marriage possible. Without it, our union would be a political cataclysm."

"I'm not surprised as much as I feel I've been proved wrong. I felt for sure you were going to leave him any day now. The fact that you've sat through his comings-and-goings with other women has been rather impressive."

"He's devoted to me," said Zelda. "I've had no reason to leave him."

"No?" said Nabooru. "There hasn't been any struggle between you two?"

"Well," admitted Zelda, "there has been some inconsistency between us."

"Has Aveil been a part of it?"

Zelda frowned. "Well, no. Not really. She's just another of Ganon's women. I don't expect she'll come between Ganon and I."

"I'm sure she thinks the same of you," Nabooru replied simply.

"What are you trying to say?"

Nabooru stood and whisked the hair from her eyes. "Up until now, almost the entire Valley has been anticipating a union between Ganondorf and Aveil. Nobody can deny he's attracted to her. For what other reason would she have borne Ganondorf two children when there are women in the Valley who have yet to bear him any?"

Zelda shook her head. "Queen Nabooru, you misunderstand."

"No! _You _misunderstand," Nabooru argued. "King Ganondorf has revealed no intentions thus far of marrying you. If he had, he would have come to me first."

Now Zelda looked distressed. "He told me he _did _speak to you."

"He hasn't said a word," Nabooru responded. "Please don't be angry with me," she pleaded. "I know you're unhappy, but I'm only telling you what I know."

Zelda's tone softened. "I know," she said. "I know you're telling the truth. I could never be angry with you, Queen Nabooru."

Now Nabooru's face fell. "Maybe you ought to return to Hyrule," she said. "Maybe it's time you let Ganondorf go."

Zelda looked weak. "I've spent my whole life with him. It would be too hard."

"It didn't seem hard for him," Nabooru said. Zelda's hands clenched into fists as he thought of Ganon and Laberu, Ganon and Aveil…

"On second thought," Zelda said sternly, "could you lend me a bow? I have a message for Ganon before I go."

…

As soon as the door closed behind Laberu, Ganon ripped the sheets from his bed. He hated every last one of these Gerudo women. Sure, they were striking. Sure, the time he spent with them was supernatural.

He balled up the sheets and threw them into an abandoned corner, raising a cloud of dust.

Ganon pulled on an old pair of pants haphazardly, running his fingers through his moist hair. He went to throw the curtains open, and as he did so, an arrow whizzed over his head and lodged itself in the wall behind him.

He tore the attached note from the arrow with very little patience. Whatever Nabooru had to say at a time like this would have to be good.

Quite to his surprise, the note came not by the hand of his sister but instead by that of Princess Zelda.

_Dearest Ganon_, it read. _In the case that this arrow misses its target (which, I don't regret to inform you, is your __**brain**__), you ought to know that I will promptly be making my return to Hyrule and subsequently Hyrule Castle, where I will assume my position as the heir to the throne. I don't fear that you'll miss me, as it's obvious you haven't missed me these past months._

_Have your way with Aveil. You deserve each other._

_-Zel_

He felt something rupture in his chest. This wasn't happening. There was simply no way that Zelda was leaving him—not when they were so close. Hadn't he told Nabooru that he wanted out of the deal as soon as his next son was born? So what, then, had Nabooru told Zelda?

Not caring that he was half-dressed, Ganon bolted from his chamber and down the steps of the fortress. Zelda wasn't far off, saddling up a horse with a Gerudo woman. She was still dressed in the Gerudo clothing, as she had no decent frock to return to Hyrule in, but she had lost her desert air and it was obvious she was returning to the way she had been raised in her homeland.

Ganon chased after her desperately. She stopped moving when she saw him coming.

"Look who decided to show up," she said bitterly.

"Stop," he said. "You can't do this."

Nabooru materialized nearby. "What's all the commotion?" she asked, approaching the pair.

Ganon turned to Nabooru furiously. "What did you tell her? Why does she think she needs to leave all of a sudden?"

"Nabooru didn't say anything," Zelda argued. "And it's _not _all of a sudden. This has all gotten so messy. I don't know what I've been thinking. We were a mistake, Ganon. I had to leave at some point." She gave a long sigh. "We don't work. We never did. When I was a kid, I thought we could spend our whole lives together. But now I see why. We clash, Ganon. Our cultures value different things. Mine values love. Yours values the… sensual aspects."

Ganon was shaking his head. "Please, no, you can't leave. Don't leave me here. I don't want to be here without you."

"That's awfully shocking, considering how you've ignored me these past months!"

"Because I was embarrassed!" cried Ganon, throwing his arms above his head. "Don't you get it? I didn't want to see you because I knew that what I was doing was wrong! I've hated every last second of it. Zel… just because I was born into one culture doesn't mean I live in it. I was raised in _your _culture to value what _you _value. I still want to marry you. And someday, I want to have a relationship with you like I've had with the others. You want to know why I haven't summoned you to my chamber like I have with the rest? Fine. I didn't do it because when you and I finally share that… I want it to be between _us_. I want it to be unique, not just another one of my _duties_. I want it to be because we chose it, not because we were told to do it.

"That's why I've been keeping away from you. To keep our relationship separate. To keep it sweet. I don't want you to be just another one of my women. I want you to be Zelda."

The princess looked at Ganon wide- eyed. She didn't say anything.

"If you go," said Ganon under his breath, "then I'll follow. I'll leave everything behind. I'll abdicate my throne if I have to. But I'm not living without you. Not now, not ever."

"I can't stay here any longer," Zelda argued.

"Then it looks like we're both going back to Hyrule," said Ganon. Zelda looked as if she were in pain.

"You'll lose your status. They'll cut you off. And you'll never be welcomed back into Hyrule Castle. All you'll have left are your wits."

"I don't care," Ganon replied. "I'll get a job as a servant. I'll clean the chamber pots, Zelda. Sure, we'll never be allowed to marry. We'll hardly be allowed to talk. But if I can just be close to you, that'll be enough."

"Why did it take you so long to realize that?" asked Zelda.

"I was too busy making mistakes," Ganon answered with a chuckle. They grasped hands. "Let's pack food," he said. "Food and water. And we'll need weapons, just to be safe for the journey. I'd prefer to travel on one horse. That way we can be closer."

Zelda nodded.

Nabooru looked from one to the next. "Ganondorf," she said, "if you leave now, you'll never be welcomed back. You won't be king. You won't be able to marry Zelda."

"I know," said Ganon. "And I'm ready to accept that."

"Very well," said Nabooru. "Allow me to fetch you your supplies." As she turned and entered the fortress, she gave a small smile. All of this trouble had driven Ganon back out of Gerudo Valley. The throne belonged to her once more.

The things she had said to Zelda earlier that day hadn't necessarily been true. Ganon had actually come to her several times looking to end the deal and marry Zelda. Nabooru had denied it each time. There was also little to no chance that Ganon felt any attraction at all to Aveil—as far as Nabooru knew, Aveil made Ganon uncomfortable.

However, she knew that these lies would be just enough to drive Zelda back to Hyrule. Nabooru was also fully aware that her brother was still in love with the princess. She knew that eliminating Zelda would be to eliminate Ganon as well, leading to the ultimate conclusion-

Gerudo Valley was under her control once more.

Ah, politics.

How she adored them.

…

"No," chuckled Zelda, "you go first."

She and Ganon were in the middle of Hyrule Field. It was midnight, or something close to it, and there wasn't a soul around. They lay in the grass, staring at the blanket of stars.

"All right, fine," said Ganon. He pointed his nose towards the sky. "Starlight, star-bright…" he rhymed, and then spoke aloud his wish. "I'm trying to find a place in Hyrule where I can work and be with Zel as much as possible. Stars, I know it's a stretch, but… could that job please not be cleaning latrines? Pretty much any other job will do."

Zelda giggled. Then she pointed her nose upwards as well. "Starlight, star-bright, I have a wish too…" She turned to Ganon and looked at him as she said it. "Ganon, after tonight, we'll have a hard time ever seeing each other again. And since it's our last night alone… ever… I want to know if you'll have me. Right here… now. Like you did with your Gerudo women."

Ganon's face showed traces of disbelief. "You'd want that?" he asked. Zelda nodded slowly. "Wow," he admitted. "I thought the desert scandal would drive you away. After that, I was sure we'd never be able to have the relationship I once wanted for us."

Zelda found his hand in the dark and grasped it. "I want this," she answered, "more than anything. Tomorrow, we're going back. It's going to be castles and politics and fancy suppers all over again. Father will have me fiancé hunting and you'll be doing housework. So we might as well. Because the opportunity will never arise again."

Ganon looked at the woman who lay before him. He considered all he had put her through. The fact that she still loved him was more than he ever could have asked for.

A smile crawled across his face.


	9. Normality

The return to Hyrule Castle—which, admittedly, was thwarting beyond compare—was also rather triumphant. Princess Zelda was hardly recognized, for her adult figure and desert-grilled skin were so unlike the girl Hyrule remembered. Ganon, nearly eighteen, looked quite the same as before he had left, and it was because of _him_ that Zelda was recognized at all.

They stood outside of the throne room alone. Zelda was watching Ganon with trusting eyes—the king sat on his throne inside of the chamber, unaware of their presence in his house.

"Ready?" asked Ganon.

Zelda sighed. "Ready." They linked hands.

"Remember," said Ganon. "No matter what Hyrule says, you and I… we're one, now. We can't be torn apart."

Memories of the night before, of waking up entwined with one another, flashed before their eyes.

The doors swung open and they entered hand-in-hand.

The king glanced up from his throne—saw them—gasped.

…

"Did you hear? The princess is back!"

It was one of the footmen who had spoke. The housekeeper's jaw dropped.

"No! How? With who?"

"She returns with Ganon, from Gerudo Desert!"

"Goddesses! And have they been punished for running away?" cried the housekeeper.

The footman shook his head. "No, but praised, by Din! The princess has been reinstated into the monarchy and Ganon—for Din's sake, Ganon has been made a Royal Advisor! He serves on the Royal Court—as ambassador to the king!"

The housekeeper nearly dropped the tray she had been carrying. "I don't believe it! Royal advisor? I would think he'd be punished—thrown into the dungeons, even! But never _praised_!"

Gossip such as this continued through the day as more of the servants learned of the princess' placement in the castle and of Ganon.

The story as Zelda had told it was that she and Ganon had run away after Ganon killed Robin Chilcott by way of a death penalty. The king had listened with some concern. Then he had claimed he had reached a decision regarding the two.

Although he was unhappy with their decision, he was not ashamed. They had run away, yes, but they had returned unharmed. For that, the king was relieved. Ganon then begged to be accepted back into the castle. Impressed with Ganon's navigation of Hyrule, the king requested that Ganon become Ambassador to the King. Ganon took the role without a moment's hesitation, eager to please King Harkinian and serve Hyrule. Furthermore, this role permitted Ganon to once again take up Hyrule Castle as his place of residence. He returned to his old room above the library.

As for Zelda, the king approached her with his arms spread open. She had only embraced him once or twice before, but now she did it wholeheartedly.

Things were back to normal. It was time to continue as normal.

…

The next couple of weeks were time to adjust. Ganon found his first meeting with the Royal Court growing steadily closer, and Zelda found herself planning her own Coming-of-Age Ball for her sixteenth birthday. This ball, which was meant to put Zelda "on the market" for incoming suitors, was something of a tradition for Royal youth. Zelda had no intentions of finding a suitor at this ball, but still found herself setting a date and addressing invitations.

Only the most elite of Hyrule were invited to these Royal balls, and such invitations were highly coveted. She found herself signing names onto envelopes that she had never encountered before, including a Mr. Ross Bishop and his wife Lady Gertrude Bishop, a Mr. Fraser Gunn and his wife Mrs. Sybil Gunn, and a Mr. Link (curiously, there was no surname) and Link's date, Malon of Lon Lon Ranch.

She wondered how she would ever become queen of a kingdom with so many unfamiliar names. Furthermore, she wondered who would be her king. The likelihood that she might marry Ganon was becoming more apparent, as their relationship was now made public and Ganon was nothing less than Royal Advisor.

Still, some of the servants seemed unhappy with their relationship. Ganon had once encountered Zelda while addressing invitations in the library. A few seconds later, they found themselves in a compromising situation when the housekeeper found them kissing passionately against a bookcase. A few days later, the same housekeeper happened upon them while sharing a private moment behind a tapestry. It was embarrassing and uncomfortable to be encountered like this, and from that point on, they decided to keep their relationship behind shut doors.

…

"And of course," said the king, walking up to Ganon and looking him over, "you'll want to be dressed for the part of Royal Advisor. Hyrule's entering a new age, young man. It's away with tunics and in with tailcoats, so I've been told. Let's get you newly dressed…"

It was the morning of Ganon's first meeting with the Royal Court.

Two footmen entered Ganon's old chamber and dressed Ganon in a sharp-looking tailcoat and boots, freshening him up with cologne and sharpening his features with some type of bowtie. When Ganon looked into a mirror, he saw an image that was nearly Hylian. The king was reflected beside him, and was looking at him with pride.

"I will not pretend to be happy about the decision you made with my daughter two years ago," the king admitted. "However, I am not ashamed that you ran away. You did what you felt you must, and you took very good care of her. She has never seemed quite so alive as she is with you. And I must thank you for that. You have been very good to my daughter, and I am eternally in your debt."

"I thought you would throw me in the dungeons," Ganon admitted with a smirk. He turned to the king, who was slightly shorter than him. The king's hair and beard were beginning to fade from black to gray, and sharp lines traced passages through the skin on his face.

The king cast Ganon a genuine smile. "You know, Ganon," he said, placing a fatherly hand on his shoulder, "when I first met you, I misjudged you. I thought you would be what I was told the Gerudo were _meant _to be—dirty, thieving, and lying. But throughout the years, you have proven yourself to be strong and righteous. And I am not blind—I have seen it, you know, the way you look at my daughter. I know that you love her beyond compare. I have known it since you two first met. And I admire you."

The king sat down in a desk chair, and Ganon sat facing him on the foot of his bed.

"I do not know how to apologize for the words I said to you when we first met. I am in eternal gratitude to my daughter for talking me into allowing you to dinner that one night. If it hadn't been for her, I would never have had the chance to know you. And I will admit it—you are one of the finest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And so I hope you will forgive me, Ganon, for misjudging you."

Ganon shook his head and smiled softly. "There's nothing to forgive," he said.

Here the king paused. "You have been like a son to me," he admitted. "When you and Zelda left last year, I had lost not one child but two children. Seeing you both return has been a great happiness for me."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ganon asked suddenly.

"No reason," the king answered simply. "I just wanted you to know." He got to his feet and made to leave the room.

…

"I made a fool of myself today."

Zelda and Ganon were taking a walk through the courtyard.

"And how's that?" Zelda asked Ganon.

"It was my first meeting with the Royal Court, and it all went wrong. We were looking over your guest list for your ball, and I realized that every person attending was Hylian. I asked why there were no Gerudo or Zora, and the king just shook his head at me."

"That doesn't sound _so _bad," Zelda argued.

"It does when everybody stares at you like you've two heads. Zelda, they don't get it. They don't get that they're leaving people out and they don't notice."

"So, let them," said Zelda. "You must let them. They're fools, but… just forget it. Forget _them_."

"I don't want to forget them," Ganon argued. "Someday, all that racism… something's going to come of it. Something bad."

Zelda was reminded again of her dream where Ganon was chained to a rock.

Was Ganon right? _Was _something going to come of it all?

Something bad?

…

"Good morning, Your Highness!"

Impa entered Zelda's room cheerily. It was a rather bright and sunny day. Zelda was already awake, sitting at her vanity table and running a brush through her hair.

"Good day, Impa," Zelda replied. "I see you've brought me breakfast."

The dish with bread and water was placed on Zelda's nightstand. "As usual, Princess."

"You know, Impa, I am growing up."

"I'm quite aware, Princess. What are you saying?"

"I just think," said Zelda into the mirror, "that you ought to leave me to my own devices in the morning. I'm not sure I really need a nursemaid anymore."

Impa looked as if she didn't know quite what to say. "Are you implying that you're too old for a nanny?"

A thump came from the other side of the room.

"I'd just like a little more privacy, that's all. I'm not trying to be rude."

Impa scrutinized Zelda. "Privacy?"

"Yeah," Zelda answered. "Privacy and independence. I _can _dress myself, you know."

"I know that," Impa said. "I'm just wondering what you're hiding."

"What—hiding? I'm not hiding anything!"

"I should think you are. What was that noise just now?"

"A mouse, I should think," Zelda answered coolly. "There's been something scurrying through the wall for quite some time now. I've been letting it go."

Impa stood back and put her hands on her hips.

"Is that so?"

"I hope," Zelda answered, "for if it isn't a mouse, it could be something harmful. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder whether a tektite isn't hiding in the floorboards. You know how they can be—dreadfully annoying. And there's always the possibility of a deku shrub hanging about in the ceiling…."

"Now you're just being smart," accused Impa with a smirk.

Zelda stood and put on her sweetest smile. "I'm just growing up, Impa," she said. "I want to try things on my own for a little while."

Impa looked over the young girl.

"Yes," she sighed finally, "I suppose you're right. You're a smart girl. I trust you can take care of yourself."

And so Impa gave Zelda a pat on the arm and left her behind in the room.

Zelda waited for Impa's footsteps to fade away before ripping the quilt away from the bed and dragging Ganon out from under it.

"Try to be a little quieter, won't you?" she begged. "You were nearly caught. Can you imagine if Impa had seen you?"

"Oh, please," Ganon chuckled. "You had the situation completely under control. Where're my pants?"

Zelda groaned. "I wouldn't have had to make up those excuses if you hadn't made so much noise! Be a little more careful, or I won't let you spend the night anymore."

"Fine, fine. Now where're my trousers? You're hiding them, aren't you?"

"Your _stupid _trousers," Zelda exclaimed in aggravation, "are under the _stupid _bed! Now get your _stupid _ass under there and find them yourself!"

"Sweet Nayru," Ganon said in awe. "You're bitter."

Zelda sighed. "I'm sorry," she admitted. "I'm just high-strung. My party's only a few weeks away and I still have to send out the invitations. Furthermore, I haven't picked out a dress…"

"You could go naked," Ganon suggested from under the bed. Zelda threw her hairbrush at him.

"Ow!"

"I guess everything's just a little hectic right now."

"It will all fall into place," Ganon promised, emerging from under the bed and pulling on his trousers. "It always does."

…

…

Normal life. Normal, normal, normal.

Ganon had almost forgotten how strict life at the castle was. The freedom of Gerudo Valley had wiped most of it from his memory.

He found himself twice a week serving in the Royal Court. He refrained from making further suggestions that would make him look like an outsider to the other Royal Advisors and the king. Still, the revelation that the king not only respected him, but _adored _him, was something that Ganon had never expected. Furthermore, the king accepted his relationship with Zelda, and somewhere—that was something he'd really wanted.

Besides serving on the Royal Court, Ganon had many duties around the castle that were almost like those of a servant. He found himself playing butler to the king, helping Zelda with her preparations for her Coming of Age ball, and preparing bedchambers for castle visitors.

He was preparing a bedchamber one evening for a young lawyer that would be visiting the king. The lawyer went by the name of Fraser Gunn, and was visiting to discuss the king's will.

…

"Come in, Mr. Gunn! Here—Ganon! Ah, there you are, Ganon. Here, take this man's luggage to the room that has been prepared for him. Make sure somebody lights a fire in there. Come right this way, Mr. Gunn—we'll go to my study. There's business to be done!"

The king had spoken with enthusiasm, which seemed to surprise Fraser Gunn quite a lot for a man about to discuss his will. Gunn dropped his luggage into Ganon's hands and followed the king up a winding staircase, down a corridor, past several suits of armor, and into a study.

The King sat down in his desk chair, and the lawyer sat across from him.

"Now," said the king, "I'd like to discuss my will. You know that, of course… Now, I never had much of a chance to decide who my heir would be. For a long time, now, I've had it written down that the heir to the throne would be of my choosing. I want you to change that, Mr. Gunn. I want the heir to be of my daughter Zelda's choosing. I want her to marry whoever she chooses."

…

"Tell us about yourself, Mr. Gunn…"

Now they all sat at dinner, Fraser Gunn seated beside the king and situated across from Zelda. Ganon was off to the side, eating quietly.

"Well," said Gunn, "I'm a lawyer… you know that…"

"Yes, but where do you live? How old are you?" The king continued to bombard him with questions.

"I'm twenty-five," said Gunn. "I live in the Back Alley of Castle Town, but I grew up outside of Hyrule. I became a lawyer because everybody told me I should."

"I've heard you're an excellent lawyer," Zelda cut in. For the first time, Gunn looked at her. She was looking beautiful this evening. Her curly hair had been pulled back and she was dressed in a rich crimson gown. It brought out the flush in her cheeks and the red in her thin, pretty lips.

"I've been told I'm all right," Gunn answered. He was a modest man—to him, humility was a virtue.

"Have you worked in any criminal cases?" asked the king.

Gunn nodded. "I've worked in a few, yes. Only small ones, though, and none in Hyrule. Is there even a judicial system in Hyrule?"

"Yes," the king said, "but we haven't called one in years. The courtroom is right here in the castle, but I've never used it. In the old days, we used to call in a jury of eight of Hyrule's most elite. But like I've said, there haven't been any criminals in a long time."

Fraser nodded slowly. Zelda spoke again.

"That's a cute terrier," she said, gesturing to the dog beside Fraser's feet. Akin to the dogs that ran around Castle Town at night, the gray dog barked and wagged his tail. He seemed to be begging for scraps from the table.

Fraser chuckled. "You think so? His name's Rufus. I got him a few years ago, when I first moved to Hyrule."

"I wish I had a dog," Zelda mused. From the other side of the table, Ganon made a mental note to get her a puppy sometime.

"I could get you one if you'd like," Fraser offered. Frustrated, Ganon kicked Fraser under the table. Fraser winced.

"Something wrong?" asked the king.

"Um—no. Nothing's wrong." Evidently, Ganon had not kicked him hard enough. He contemplated doing it again.

…

"Your room's this way," said Zelda, showing Fraser to the room that had been prepared for him.

They walked through a dark corridor, Zelda leading Fraser by candlelight.

"This is a fascinating passageway," Fraser said.

"I have so many memories here," Zelda said. "Hiding behind suits of armor, taking walks with Impa… see that tapestry over there? There's a secret passageway behind it. If you lift it up, it leads to a stairwell and then goes into the courtyard. Ganon and I once snuck out of the castle through it."

They kept walking until they reached Fraser's room.

They entered the chamber, where a fire was already roaring. Fraser crossed the room and opened his suitcase, which had been dropped off for him.

"That's a funny outfit you've got on," said Zelda. Fraser hadn't noticed she'd followed him inside.

"What—my kilt?"

Zelda giggled. "_Yes, _your kilt. I've only seen one once or twice."

The tartan that adorned Fraser was a mixture of green, blue, and orange stripes that criss-crossed one another in a fashion that Zelda found to be quite pretty.

"Well… I guess so."

Fraser felt suddenly uncomfortable. He had a very pretty girl in his bedroom at night. If she didn't leave soon, there would be… _implications._

Of course, Zelda didn't seem to have any intentions of leaving, because she sat down on the sofa and continued chatting.

Fraser wasn't really listening, though, because she had leaned forward and Fraser found himself (quite by accident) staring straight at her chest.

He ripped his eyes away, hoping she hadn't noticed.

_Focus, Gunn. _

"…and of course, they wanted to give you the downstairs room, but I told them that this one was much nicer. So then they—"

"How old are you?" asked Fraser suddenly.

"What—how old am I?"

"Yeah… your age. How old are you?"

"What—well—sixteen. Almost. Why?"

"Curiosity, I guess."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Zelda warned. Fraser thought about this for a second. What was she saying? Was she telling him to stay away?

Zelda sighed. "It's getting late," she said, standing and making to leave. Against his will, Fraser spoke.

"Wait. Don't go."

Zelda stopped moving. "Why not?"

"I guess I'd like some company," he admitted. "Tell me about yourself."

"Why?"

"I want to know."

Zelda pressed her lips together, contemplating. "Well… I guess I could stay a bit longer."

She stayed, and Fraser found himself talking and talking. About the weather (quite warm for March, don't you think?), about his job, about Zelda's upcoming ball. Her age. Whether or not she would become queen.

Have you ever been out of Hyrule? No? Where am I from? The Northern Isles. Haven't heard of them? That's too bad. Rufus, he's three years old. Still a baby, realy.

I'm turning sixteen late this month. Will I get married? Maybe. I don't know.

My birthday's in early August. I'll be twenty-six this year. You know, you're really pretty. Really? You don't think so? Well, you ought to.

Stop it. Really. Stop teasing me. I don't like it.

I'm sorry. Really, I am. Will you open the window for me? I like the fresh air.

Yes, okay, I'll open the window. I like it, too. I used to spend a lot of time outside.

Where?

Gerudo Valley. It's a desert. Have you ever been?

No. There were no deserts where I'm from…

"Would you like to know more about them?" asked Zelda suddenly.

"Sure," said Fraser. By now, he had crawled into bed. The light in the room was dim, and Zelda sat at his bedside.

"Well, deserts are white-hot. Amazing, really. So unlike Hyrule."

"You seem to like them."

"I like them very much," Zelda admitted.

"Is there anything _bad _about deserts?" Fraser asked.

Zelda paused. And then a small smile crossed her face as she said, "Well, for one thing, flowers don't grow there…"

…

It had to be one o' clock in the morning by now. Zelda rubbed her eyes jadedly and dragged herself up the staircase toward her room. She opened the door and plunged inside.

"Where have _you _been?" asked Ganon, who had been waiting on the bed. "I've been here for _hours_, Zel."

"With our guest," Zelda confessed. "He wouldn't let me leave."

Ganon was quiet. Then he said, "He likes you, you know. Fraser does. He couldn't take his eyes off of you at dinner."

"What? Hogwash."

"No, really. He does. How come I always notice these things, and you don't?"

"Because I'm too focused on _you_," Zelda teased. Ganon broke into a smile.

"Come here," he said, and he pulled Zelda into his arms. "Will you stay with me?" he asked "because there are going to be countless men at your ball looking to marry you. They'll all be handsome, stylish, probably rich… and, well, you've seen me. You've seen what I am."

"Good luck getting rid of me," Zelda said sarcastically. "I'm sending out the invitations in a few days… you know, the ball's only a week and a half away."

"I know," Ganon said. "And… I want to tell you something…"

Zelda curled her head into Ganon's chest.

"What?"

"I heard news from one of the servants today. It's about the king's will."

"…Well?"

"He's eradicating the part about choosing an heir. He's going to let _you _choose whoever you want to marry. And he told me a few days ago that he supported our relationship."

Zelda was trembling. "You don't mean…?"

"I was thinking he wanted you and I to marry," said Ganon. He pulled away from Zelda and looked her in the eyes. "And so after dinner, while you were with Fraser, I went to see him in his study. And I talked to him… about you and I…."

"Ganon…"

"Because it's proper, and you're a princess, I think it's necessary that I do the whole song-and-dance."

He descended onto one knee, held out his hands, and revealed to her a golden ring, striking and white in the moonlight.

"I got it from Castle Town after supper... it's the best I could afford."

"You—you mean—?"

"Princess Zelda of Hyrule," said Ganon. She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was smiling. "Will you marry me?"

A pause.

"_Yes_," she said breathlessly.


	10. Other People

_When it comes to two lovers, they will often think of themselves as the only two people in the world. The rest of the world fades away as the two become enveloped in one another, and carry out their lives according to the other. _

_And all the while, the world continues on in their oblivion, playing its role as home to many other people…._

…

There is something about the Hyrulean countryside on early mornings that makes it quite unlike any other kingdom in the world.

Flowers stretch their long necks as the sun peeks out from behind the mountaintops, exploding into ensembles of color as the morning goes on. Morning dew pools in the fan-like leaves. A light fog hangs in the air, turning distant mountains shades of violet. And with it all come the sounds of morning—a crow cawing in the distance, an animal peeking out of its hole, a cucco caught at just the right moment…

These were the sounds that awoke Ingo, the journeyman at Lon Lon Ranch, every day. He had a habit of rising before the sun. On occasion he lit an oil lamp, but this morning, he pulled on his patchwork overalls in the dark. Talon was still asleep across the room, but Ingo could hear Malon shuffling around downstairs as she put a kettle on the stove. He picked up his pitchfork and threw his sack over his shoulder before opening the door to the upper story in silence and heading downstairs.

His footsteps were muffled by the threadbare carpet beneath his bare feet. Malon was humming to herself and paid no mind to the ranch hand as he approached. Ingo found his boots, caked in dried mud from the day before, and pulled them on. They molded immediately to his feet like a second skin.

"Link left early this morning," said Malon in her singsong voice.

"Why?" asked Ingo gruffly.

"No idea," the girl answered. "He comes and goes as he pleases." Ingo didn't respond and only grunted.

"I like that boy," he finally said, twirling a rope around his arm. He saw the ghost of a smile appear on Malon's face.

"He is nice," she answered somewhat vaguely.

"He's a damn good worker, too," Ingo continued. His eyes flicked again toward Malon, who had turned in the other direction. "You know how long he'll be gone?"

Malon shrugged. "I don't think too long. He took our Epona. He'll feel obligated to bring her back."

Ingo looked at her curiously. "She likes Link, that horse does. I ain't never seen her like anybody but him."

Malon gave a small nod. "I guess she does, yeah. Nonetheless, she still belongs to us. Link'll have her home by the end of the day, I think."

"Yeah, well, good," said the ranch hand grouchily. "I ain't gonna bust my ass all my life without any help." He let in a gust of chill spring air before slamming the door shut behind him.

He moseyed across the threshold to the stable. The sun greeted him with its usual timing, officially starting the day.

Ingo and Malon went about their usual morning chores. Malon set breakfast on the table for her father and then set off to milk the cows. Ingo fed the horses one by one, hauling hay from his sack to each trough with his pitchfork. The ranch functioned as usual into the afternoon and then to the evening, and Malon was preparing supper when a blur of red finally shot through the ranch.

"Link's back," Malon called to her father, who was across the room with Ingo. They glanced up and Ingo grumbled something that sounded strangely like _"About time."_

Out of the window of the main house Malon saw Link lead Epona into the field to graze. He seemed to be in some type of fury and kept to himself when he stomped inside. He dropped his satchel and hung up his quiver by the door, a scowl on his face. He didn't bother to say hello.

Malon looked over the man. He was sixteen, now, and had been staying with the ranch workers on and off for nearly six years. He was lean from years of hard work on the ranch, and although he appeared young, his eyes seemed much older. His overalls and cotton shirt outlined a muscular form that usually looked relaxed but today appeared rather agitated.

"Hello, Link," Malon chirped, hoping to cheer him up. "Are you hungry? I'm putting dinner together."

Link responded with shrug and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Malon called Ingo and Talon over to the table, where the three sat down to their stew.

Link stayed in the corner and stared at the floor.

"Eat something," Malon begged.

Instead of eating, Link said in a low voice, "I'm going outside." He took off out the door and headed in the direction of the stable. With a huff, Malon tossed her napkin aside and stood, following him briskly.

"Link! Link, wait up…"

She found him inside the stable, leaning against an empty horse stall. Orange light streamed in through the small barn window and illuminated his figure. He looked strangely sad, strangely worn.

"Something's wrong," Malon stated, her hands on her hips. "I know it is. I know _you_."

Silence.

"You've been to the castle again, haven't you?"

When Link looked up, his face was dark. "They won't let me in. I tried to talk to the king. I stood outside all day, Malon. I tried to sneak in, too. I got pretty close, but the guards found me. They threw me right out."

Malon took a few steps closer to him and lowered her voice. "Have you even told them your story?"

The 'story' was something Link had told Malon time and time again. _I come from another time_, he told her. _Another world where an evil Gerudo king destroyed Hyrule and six sages had to put him out of their misery. In that world, he's been sealed away in an evil realm. But in the world you and I live in, he lives on. He must be stopped before he destroys Hyrule again_.

Link said things about time travel and sages and a Master Sword something-or-other in his sleep every night. Malon didn't know what it all meant, but she knew that Link had a mission to fulfill. And to do so, he needed the help of the Royal Family.

"I've told the king before," Link said now. "He didn't believe me. That's why he keeps me out. He hates me. He thinks I'm up to no good…"

"Maybe… maybe the king isn't the one to talk to. I mean, even _I _had a hard time believing your story. But I know you'd never tell a lie…"

"I want to bring my story to the princess," Link said.

Malon sighed. "I used to be very good friends with the princess… If only there were some way you and I could be invited to the castle. Then you could bring your story to Zelda."

Link drew quiet. "If only…" he responded.

"Please come and eat something," Malon said gently. After a brief pause, she took his hand and gave it a soft tug. Link followed her out of the stable, but his thoughts were on ways to meet the princess….

… 

Chilcott waddled through the streets, scowling outright. Hair unruly, shirt sticking to him with sweat, he dragged his heels through the back alley and to his favorite pub.

The pub was rather new and rather clean, which was why when Chilcott tumbled through the door and wiggled onto the bar stool, many of the regulars scowled.

Look at that man, they said. What a shame, what a mess.

Ever since Robin's untimely death, Mr. Chilcott had diminished to Hyrule's most unwanted citizen. His business fell to shambles and he spent all of his hard-earned money on alcohol—whisky, rum, ale—whatever was around.

It was embarrassing. If Robin had been there and hadn't disowned himself already, he would now.

Chilcott didn't receive an invitation to Zelda's ball, and he didn't care. He didn't care about anything.

He spent a few hours at the bar, his face in his palm. He downed some dark, brown liquid that he hardly recognized until he was absolutely drunk. He massaged his chin with the heel of his palm and thought about how much he hated everything.

He passed a few more hours there.

The night passed into early morning. It was another one of those beautiful Hyrulean mornings.

Chilcott was being carried out in a sheet. Dragged to the coroner. "Drank himself to death." Nailed into a coffin. Buried. Gone for good.

Some legend.

…

"Good morning."

Fraser Gunn heard the voice and his eyes drifted open wearily.

"What time is it?" he asked automatically.

"I don't know. Morning." The springs groaned under the bed as somebody warm sat beside his feet.

"Yeah. I got that." He lowered his eyes to see Zelda perched on his bed. Rufus leapt up beside her and wagged his tail.

"Hey, Rufus," said Zelda, scratching his stomach.

"He likes you," Fraser claimed. "He doesn't like that many people."

"I've never met anyone who disliked me," Zelda said honestly. "…Unless _you _dislike me. _Do _you?"

"What—no! No, I couldn't!"

She smiled, and Fraser felt something hot shoot up his spine, to his face. _Beautiful_.

"I just thought I'd give you a wake-up call," Zelda admitted. "You're returning home this morning, you know. Ganon's already got your coach ready."

Fraser felt an immediate reluctance to leave. He _liked _being with Zelda. He didn't _want _to go anywhere.

But he had to. And he would.

Zelda left the room. Fraser rose, dressed. Pulled on his shirt, his kilt, his hose. Laced up his shoes. Pulled a few rupees from his sporran and left them for whoever had prepared his room. Wondered where his damn flashes were.

A usual morning.

As promised, his chaise was waiting outside. The mules were stamping their hooves impatiently, waiting to leave. Ganon patted one heartily.

"I've always loved horses," he said.

"It's a mule," Fraser said, and Ganon chuckled quietly, muttering something about it being an ass. Zelda was there, and she smiled at Ganon's joke. And there was something in her smile that Fraser pretended he didn't see, because it was a reaction to Ganon, and she didn't smile at _Fraser _like that.

Some footman dragged Fraser's luggage to the chaise and threw it inside. Before leaving, Fraser took Zelda's hand and pressed his lips to it in a fashion uncharacteristic of him. His lips lingered on her knuckles for longer than necessary—whether it was because he didn't want to leave or because he wanted to make a point, he didn't know—and then he broke away, stepped into the carriage, and was off.

He was back to Castle Town, and back to something he hadn't brought up to Zelda or her family—something he'd been keeping, for lack of a better term, secret—

His wife.

…

"Tell me your story again."

Link and Malon were lounging under the shade of a tree. It was one of those rare moments on the ranch where everybody stopped working for a second and just took the time to _breathe_.

"I was born in Castle Town," Link recited for the millionth time, because he knew Malon liked to here the whole story. "But when I was a baby, I was taken to the Deku Tree in Kokiri Forest. In Kokiri Forest, every child has a fairy. But I didn't, because I wasn't a Kokiri."

Malon nodded. Sometimes, she wondered whether this story was fact or fable. Fairies didn't _exist_, she'd been told that a million times. Still, there was something in the way Link told it that forced her to believe.

"Keep going."

"I was teased all of my life. I hated it. But one day, a fairy came to me. She called herself Navi, and she said the Deku Tree wanted to see me. So I went to see the Deku Tree, and he told me I was part of a great destiny that would save Hyrule. He told me about Ganondorf, an evil Gerudo warlord who would destroy Hyrule."

Malon shifted her weight. She wondered again whether Ganondorf was the same Ganon she had met as a child.

"And then…" she

"Well, you know the story. _You _tell it."

"No," said Malon, "I like it when you tell it."

"And then," said Link, "the Deku Tree died. But first, it gave me a Spiritual Stone called the Kokiri Emerald. He told me to go meet Princess Zelda. So I made my way across Hyrule, to Castle Town, and then—"

"You met _me_!" said Malon. "Didn't you?"

"I _did _meet you," Link said. He paused, and then added adoringly, "You called me Fairy Boy."

"Fairy Boy," Malon recited.

"And you gave me an egg. It took all night to break into Hyrule Castle, and once I did, I woke your father up with the cucco the egg hatched in to."

Malon grinned. She had always loved that part.

"I met Zelda. She had me get two more Spiritual Stones—a ruby and a sapphire. I met gorons and zora and even a Sheikah named Impa."

"I've _met _Impa!" said Malon.

"I know you have. You've told me. And on the way back to meet Zelda, I ran into Ganondorf. Zelda fled Hyrule with Impa—the king had been killed, and Castle Town was in danger. Zelda gave me the—"

"The Ocarina of Time," said Malon. Unable to resist, she continued with the story. "And once you had the Ocarina, you travelled forward in time, didn't you! You pulled out the Master Sword and you were suddenly sixteen… right?"

"Right."

"But you opened up the gateway to the Sacred Realm, and Ganondorf stole the Triforce. He wrought terror upon all of Hyrule while you slept for seven years. Then, when you awoke, you used the Master Sword and other weapons to travel Hyrule and free seven sages. Once you'd done that, you fought Ganondorf, defeated him, and saved the word!"

"And on the way," Link reminded her, "I met you again. Ingo had turned evil and he took over the Ranch. He meant to give Epona to the evil Ganondorf, but I saved her and the ranch when I beat him in a race."

"That was always my favorite part," Malon disclosed.

"But once the world was saved," Link said sadly, "Zelda sent me back in time to the day my life began. I grew up in the forest again, but something was different—Navi never came back to me. The adventure didn't start again. At first, I thought it was because Ganondorf wasn't around. But here's the thing—he _was. _And he _is. _Surely Zelda knows that. I have to go talk to here—I'm sure she remembers everything. It would be ridiculous if she didn't. And that's why I have to find her—so she and I can get rid of Ganon.

Malon gazed at him in amazement.

"The story as you tell it is so awe-inspiring," she claimed. She flopped forward into the grass, breathing in the scent of grass and clover and dirt.

"But how do I get into the castle?" asked Link again.

"What we need," said Malon, "is a personal invitation…"

Little did they know, it was only days away.

…

Fraser returned to his apartment, ran through the usual dances of the day. His wife, Sybil, was home. She didn't acknowledge him as he entered the house. After awhile, she asked him why he wouldn't shave. He wondered again why he had married her. Sure, she had a beautiful, youthful face, but had it ever smiled?

By four o' clock, she was in her nightgown. She drew away to the bedchamber and fell asleep.

Left alone in the drawing room, Fraser had their single servant light a fire. He flipped blankly through the pages of a book, not really reading it and not really trying. His thoughts returned, reluctantly, to Zelda.

_No_. He couldn't think of the girl, however wonderful, with his own wife sleeping only one room over. In fact, he couldn't think of her at all. So why did he?

Hoping that sleep would help him to take his mind off of her, Fraser abandoned his book and entered the bedroom.

It was dark inside, and Fraser didn't bother to light a candle. He found his way to the bed on the other side of the dark room and sat on the edge of the mattress. In the dark, it was easier to think without interruption.

He pulled his shoes and hose off and tossed them wearily onto the floor of the wardrobe. He rubbed his callused, aching heels and thought again of the princess.

_Goddesses_, she was beautiful. Fraser considered her curved, youthful figure, her flushed cheeks, her voice... He realized how much he would like to hold her and love her.

Across the room, he could hear Sybil breathing. The sound of her long breaths cut through the darkness and pierced Fraser somewhere inside. Was he not betraying his wife in his consideration of Zelda? Weren't these undoubtedly sensual thoughts also adulterous thoughts?

He groaned and his face fell into his palm. He rubbed his whiskers in contemplation.

He had never considered adultery before. An affair was something unheard of to him. Fraser had never had a reason to commit such a sin.

Until now, he would have thought it was because he felt loving and faithful enough to his wife. Now, he realized it was that he had never truly fallen in love until he had met Zelda. He'd never wanted a woman in his life.

He finished undressing and slipped between the cool sheets. Sybil shifted in her sleep and the bed groaned beneath Fraser. He felt a pain in his chest, because he didn't WANT this woman beside him. He wanted the girl he loved with him, not Sybil.

But if Fraser Gunn was one thing, it was loyal. He kept a promise once he made it, and he had promised to stay with Sybil for the rest of his life. And Fraser would not leave her now, because he was a man of his word.

Oh Goddesses, he realized, I'm doomed to her.

There was no possibility of having Zelda. And if he couldn't have her, then at least he would try to make the most of what he COULD do for her- whatever he could do to make her happy, he would, because she deserved every last piece of happiness in the world. 

…

They were behind Zeda's favorite tapestry in the hidden corridor, kissing blindly. Zelda's body was hot against Fraser's, and they moved together in waves of passion, and it was magnificent.  
This was what he had waited for, wasn't it? To have Zelda, her body, all to himself?

A ray of light shot onto them as somebody lifted up the tapestry. Fraser felt suddenly exposed, and so did Zelda, as they tried hopelessly to cover themselves in shame.

Sybil stood staring at the two in shock, clinging onto the tapestry with her knuckles.

Fraser was ashamed. This is what he had been afraid of- Sybil finding out that he loved another woman.

And then- even more shocking yet- G_anon_ appeared over Sybil's shoulder, flabbergasted and betrayed.

"Z_elda_?" he cried, his voice cracking.

And Sybil was yelling all the while at Fraser, in that terrible nagging tone of hers...

Fraser sat up in shock, panting. The back of his neck was wet and he tried helplessly to wipe it dry.

He pried the sheets from his shaking body and turned to face his wife. She was sound asleep, snoring quietly with her face pressed into the wall.

It was still dark. Fraser lit a candle and made his way to the upstairs washroom, drawing the door shut behind him. He pumped hot water into the cramped wooden washtub and slipped inside, his knees drawn up to his chest. His limbs went numb in the hot water- steam rose and cradled his face.

He tried to let the water rinse thoughts of Zelda from his brain, but they kept returning.

He couldn't have her. He hated knowing it, but he _couldn't_. For one, he was married- something he'd gone over time and time again in his head.

And there was another thing he'd never realized until that terrifying dream- Ganon. He had seen them together. How had he never realized they were in _love_? It was obvious, now, but how come he'd ignored it until now?

He sunk lower into the water, letting the surface tickle his chin.

Zelda. Zelda. Zelda. Zelda.

She had to be with Ganon, if she loved him. And Fraser wasn't racist, unlike many people of Castle Town. So, shouldn't he try his best to make her happy? He would have to support her relationship with Ganon until they were married, had kids, and Ganon was king and Zelda was queen...

For a second, it almost made Fraser happy.

Because it would make _Zelda_ happy.

…

Zelda's long-awaited Coming of Age Ball invitations were finally addressed and delivered. A few mornings later, the richest of Castle Town awoke to find an elegantly dressed envelope waiting for them on the doorstep. Lawyers, businessmen, and the other wealthy wrote back to the king almost immediately to promise their presence at the princess' ball.

(Fraser was one of them. Apparently, he wasn't forgetting Zelda anytime soon.)

One such invitation travelled all the way to Lon Lon Ranch on horseback. Long having worked in business with the king, Talon wasn't surprised to be invited to the castle. He summoned his daughter to share the good news.

"Get a new pair of shoes, Malon! We're going dancing!"

They were in the main house when he told her. Malon stopped washing dishes suddenly.

"Dancing? Where?"

"Hyrule Castle! Princess Zelda is coming of age this year and we're invited to her Coming of Age Ball!"

Malon dropped a dish in shock. It shattered, but she hardly noticed. "Is Link invited?" she asked suddenly. Talon looked startled.

"Of course," he answered. "The letter is addressed to everyone living at the ranch. I should think that includes Link. It _especially_ includes Link. He works hard—he _deserves _some fun now and then."

But fun wasn't what Malon had in mind at all. She ripped the letter from her father's hand and read it over.

_Mr. Talon and family—You are hereby invited to Princess Zelda Harkinian's Coming of Age Ball, Saturday, March the twenty-fifth, starting at four o' clock that evening and continuing into the night. Lodgings for the night will be available in the castle. We request that you write back if you will be attending…_

She didn't finish reading the letter. She knew all she needed to.

Malon ran out of the main house and into the field, where Link was loading a cart with crates. He looked at her curiously.

"Why are you so frantic?" he asked. "You're running like somebody set your skirt on fire."

"It's here!" she cried. "It's just what we wanted—an invitation to the castle—oh, Link, this is your chance! You're going to see the princess! Look, see here, Zelda's having a Coming of Age Ball and we're invited—"

"Slow down!" cried Link. "What are you saying? An invitation? A ball? Do I need a suit?"

"_Link_!" cried Malon, and she put her hands on his shoulders. "You'll be able to see Zelda at her Coming of Age Ball in a few weeks. You can tell her your story—the one you told me. It's just the chance we were looking for."

"You're… you're serious?"

She handed him the invitation. He read it over once. Paused. Read it over again.

"I don't believe it… this is my chance. You're right! Malon, this is it!" He grabbed her by the waist and spun her around in the air.

"We're going to a birthday party!" he cried.


	11. Coming of Age

_The file name for this chapter is "The Eleventh Hour." Because it's the eleventh chapter, and that was the title of a certain _Doctor Who_ episode._

_...Anyway, please enjoy this late-and-later-still installment of Flowers Don't Grow in the Desert._

The morning of the party arrived with a large team of servants. They decorated the dining room with dozens of circular tables in white tablecloths. The silverware was freshly polished and candles were lit all around the room. It was a fine scene.

Even more extravagant, however, was the ballroom itself. Rarely used, the ballroom was a cavernous space with chandeliers and arched windows. It was easily the most beautiful room in the castle, but was only put to use on very special occasions. Naturally, the use of the room was a cause for great excitement.

Guests began to arrive early that evening. Ganon was careful to dress as well as possible, finding a neat black tailcoat with golden buttons and combing his hair back neatly. He allowed the servants to spray him with something nice smelling and even shave his jaw completely clean. Impa found him getting ready and smiled when she saw him.

"You look smart," she said. Ganon smiled smugly.

"As do you," he answered. For the first time in probably anybody's life, Impa was in a dress. It was a long, dark blue gown that actually looked rather nice on her. Ganon wondered whether anyone had ever told her she looked pretty before. He hoped somebody had. She deserved to be called pretty at least once, even if she really wasn't.

"You're needed downstairs," Impa announced. "They want you to help greet the guests."

This was confusing to Ganon. "Greet the guests? Me?"

"You're a Royal Advisor, aren't you?"

Ganon shrugged. He hadn't considered this. Nevertheless, he ventured down to the entrance hall. A line of other Advisors and the king himself were already waiting near the door. The first few guests had already arrived and were mingling in the entrance hall. Ganon took his spot at the end of the line and waited for new guests to arrive. A minute later, a stagecoach pulled up to the castle and stopped. Its occupants—an elderly couple, finely dressed—descended and entered the castle, shaking each hand in the line of advisors. Impa materialized by Ganon's side and gave him instructions on how to greet the guests based on age.

"For the elderly," she said, "you must greet them with, 'you are most welcome here.' For couples that are more youthful in appearance, greet them with, 'I hope you enjoy your stay.' For youths that are here without a partner, the proper greeting is, 'The princess is glad to have you.'"

Ganon turned to thank her, but she had already vanished.

The couple approached, and Ganon uttered the words, "You are most welcome here." Another stagecoach appeared seconds later, and again, "You are most welcome here." Coaches began to arrive with more and more frequency until there was said to be a line as far back as Castle Town Market. Dusk fell to darkness, and guests arrived by the dozens. Ganon found himself in a blur of elaborately dressed Hylians, greeting them as he had been instructed and shaking their hands. He received many strange looks—a gypsy on the council?—but ignored them. He felt quite robotic, really, automatic in his tidings to them.

Ganon was starting to feel very stuffy. The air was hot and his brow gathered sweat which he tried fruitlessly to wipe away. He could barely see past the lively, vibrant gowns and fans of the ladies. The guests were packed too tightly together and it was a relief when the last guest arrived and the doors swung shut. At this time, the colossal doors leading into the ballroom were opened and the guests were admitted inside. Most of the royal advisors followed. After awhile, the king and Ganon were the only ones left in the hall.

"I don't know about you, my son, but I feel quite ready for bed!" the king exclaimed, giving a small chuckle.

Ganon only laughed. "I felt that way before all this started." A lively dance had started in the ballroom, and guests were rushing to find partners. In only a few minutes, the guests were trotting to the beat the musicians had provided for them.

"How is Zelda?" Ganon asked suddenly. "I haven't seen her all day."

"She has been getting ready," the king answered. "Today is, of course, a very important day. She will be meeting most of her future subjects for when she becomes queen."

Ganon snuck a glance over at the king to see that he was smiling.

"Your Highness—"

"You may call me father, if you wish," the king interrupted. "You and Zelda _are _slated to be married. You are, in a way, my legal son."

Ganon paused. "Father," he said, and it felt strange. He had never had a father, and this was the closest he would ever be. "When Zelda is queen… I will be king."

"I have realized this, and considered it many times over, and have realized that there is nobody more righteous for the throne."

"The kingdom will not receive me well," Ganon protested. "They will call me gypsy, they will call my tyrant."

"I have no doubt in my mind that your reign will come with grief and struggle. But let me tell you now, my son, don't let them get you down. I have said it time and time again—you are one of the greatest men I have ever met. You have a strong and noble heart. I would pass the throne to you before I would pass it to a god."

"Zelda and I should announce our engagement," said Ganon. "We should do it tonight, and you should endorse it. I will do my best to acquaint myself with the people of Hyrule… perhaps, if I can gain the trust of the nobility, then I will have an easier time making friends with the lower classes."

"That seems like a fine idea," the king agreed. "In fact, I've been thinking… _I _was meant to accompany Zelda into the ballroom tonight, but what if you did it instead? You will soon be her husband—soon enough, she will belong to you and not me."

The idea brightened Ganon up considerably, and he told the king so.

"Very well, then," the king said. "When she comes down the stairs into the entrance hall, all you need to do is take her arm. You will walk in together."

And sure enough, Zelda descended the staircase moments later.

It was just like that first supper Ganon had spent in the castle, where Zelda had introduced herself to the dinner table in her elaborate gown of lace. It had been nearly ten years, of course, since that first meal. Now Zelda descended the staircase in a dress of white satin, hair pulled back. On her forehead was something that Ganon had very rarely ever seen her wear- a tiara.

He put out his arm and she took it with a smile like she had done one million times.

Sometimes, in Zelda's prescence, Ganon needed to literally remind his heart to beat.

…

"Look at all of this," Malon said in admiration of the banquet table. "They've got more food on this table than I've had in a month. And look at this room! It's enormous! I'd like to have a _house _the size of this room."

Link only laughed. He was dressed in the nicest thing he owned—a green tunic. He'd found it for sale once on a trip to Castle Town Market, and had been compelled to purchase it. (To this day, he wasn't sure as to why—it was very nice and he had only worn it once, to a cousin of Talon's wedding.)

But now he wore it and walked beside Malon in Hyrule Castle's ballroom. Malon looked quite pretty in a simple country dress, and Link made a point of telling her so. He supposed he'd always found Malon to be quite pretty, but he'd never had time to dwell much on it.

Link didn't know much about dancing, so he refrained, but Malon was quick to grab a partner and join in the festivities.

The perimeter of the room was occupied by about fifty round tables, all nicely decorated. Most were already occupied, but there were a few free seats next to a young man with black hair and who appeared to be his wife.

"Mind if I sit here?" Link asked. The man glanced up at him and nodded, smiling politely. Link took a seat.

"I'm Fraser Gunn," said the young man. "This is my wife, Lady Sybil."

Link smiled and shook Fraser's hand. "My name's Link. I'm from Lon Lon Ranch… it's out in the country."

Fraser nodded. "I travel past the ranch every now and again on business. I'm a lawyer, you see…."

With that, Fraser launched into a rather boring conversation about his occupation. Link wasn't really listening, because at that moment the doors to the ballroom swung open and a fanfare heralded the arrival of Princess Zelda. Link found himself in immediate shock.

_She was hand in hand with Ganondorf._

Why? Why were they holding hands and smiling like that? And why was he so tranquil, so cool-mannered? Why did that evil man look so pleasant, so happy, so _clean_?

He glanced over at Fraser. Fraser was looking at the princess in pure awe, as if he'd never seen anything more fantastic.

Link glanced back at Zelda and Ganon. This was preposterous! Didn't Zelda realize that this man would kill her father, would destroy the kingdom, would single-handedly murder every man, woman, or child who stood in his way?

Even more infuriating was the thing that happened next—Ganon took her in his arms and _kissed _her, kissed her like he had been doing it for a thousand years. And then they held up their intertwined hands to show off two identical golden bands—"We are pleased to announce our engagement," said Zelda. "So very pleased… we hope you will be too… hope to be married… within the year."

This was all too much to bear. Link couldn't stand any of it. _This man had to be stopped. This man would destroy the kingdom._

He abandoned his chair and scouted the room for Malon. He found her sitting a ways away, fanning herself with her hand and flirting with a castle guard.

"Malon," he said, "I need you to do something for me."

Malon looked up at him. "Now?" she whined.

"Yes, now."

Malon sighed. "Okay, fine."

"Zelda and Ganondorf are engaged," said Link after pulling Malon off to one side of the room.

"I see that. They look happier than a pig in mud. I don't see what all the concern is."

"Malon, he's evil!"

"I know that," Malon sighed. "What do you need me to do?"

"Pry them apart," said Link simply. "Zelda and Ganondorf are attatched at the hip. I need you to distract Ganondorf so I can talk to Zelda. That's why we're here, remember?"

"That's why _you're _here," said Malon, poking him in the chest. Then, she sighed. "All right, then. I'll distract them. Maybe I can seduce Ganon. That'd be fun."

And with that, she was off.

…

"You look absolutely beautiful." Zelda and Ganon were swaying to a slow waltz, hidden in the midst of two dozen other couples.

"I tend to," Zelda chuckled. She pulled Ganon half an inch closer.

"The kingdom seemed to take our announcement well," Ganon mused. "I was thinking they'd be outraged."

"If anything, they seemed quite pleased," Zelda answered. "There's been so much argument over who would take the throne… they're probably happy that the dispute has been settled."

Ganon smiled. "It _is _settled, right?"

"Do you want to be king?"

"Only if you're the queen."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Zelda felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.

"Oh—Malon, is that you? I haven't seen you in years. You're all grown up!"

Malon laughed. "Seems like it, yeah. Congratulations, by the way. On your engagement, I mean." She turned to Ganon. "You've gotten mighty handsome, you know. Mind if I steal you for just a few minutes?"

"What? Me?" said Ganon dumbly.

"Yes, you," Malon said. "Before you get hitched, I mean."

Ganon didn't have much of a choice, because Malon took his hand and dragged him across the ballroom. Zelda watched and laughed.

A few seconds later, she felt a warm hand on her elbow. She turned to see her visitor—

—And froze.

Zelda recognized him. She recognized his blue eyes, his shaggy blond hair. She knew the smile, the way he held himself, the woodland smell. She knew all of it, to the very depth of her core, she knew this man like she knew herself.

_But who was he?_

"Good evening, Your Highness."

His voice was exactly as she knew it would be.

She found herself stumbling over her words. Then she smiled in embarrassment and shook her head. "I'm sorry. Have we met?"

The man looked slightly taken aback. Then, in a calm voice, he answered, "Not recently, no."

Zelda seemed even more shaken by this. "I guess you just have one of those faces," she reasoned. "Um… what is your name, exactly?"

"Link."

"No surname?" she said. "How curious."

_Remain calm, Zelda, remain completely calm. Suppress the fact that you knew his name was Link._

"I was wondering if we might take a walk," he admitted.

"As pleasant as it seems, it's far too crowded in here. We wouldn't make it halfway around."

"I was actually thinking I might take you out into the courtyard."

Now Zelda raised her eyebrows. "The… the courtyard?"

"Yes, Your Highness. The inner courtyard—with the window that looks into the throne room."

"How do you know about that?" countered Zelda, lowering her voice.

"Please," said Link. "You have to trust me."

Zelda was hesitant, but he offered his hand and she took it anyway.

…

_Link owes me_, Malon thought to herself. She dragged Ganon across the room until Link and Zelda were hidden from view.

"Can I help you?" asked Ganon pleasantly.

"You bet you can," she said, batting her eyelashes. She brushed her hand down his arm and to his waist, keeping it there.

"Having fun?" he asked dully.

Malon sighed. "Shut up and let me seduce you."

"Many women have tried to seduce me."

"Did it work?"

"Most of the time," Ganon admitted.

"Is it working for me?"

"Not really."

Malon let out a long sigh. "Fine. Forget I said anything."

Ganon paused. "Can I get you a drink or something?" he finally asked.

…

"It feels much better to be outside," Zelda said once she and Link had reached the courtyard.

"I've always preferred fresh air," Link admitted. They reached the inner courtyard—Zelda's favorite—and Link stopped in his tracks.

"I haven't been here in so long," he said. Zelda looked puzzled.

"When were you ever here?"

Link turned toward her. He was frowning.

"You really don't remember, do you?"

"I'm afraid you're confusing me."

"Meeting here in the courtyard. We were just kids. You took my hand and pulled me right up to the window. You told me to look through it."

"And what was behind it?" asked Zelda curiously.

"Ganondorf," he answered. "Forgive me—Ganon, you call him now. But the first time around, he was Ganondorf, and you called him the man with the evil eyes…."

"What are you playing at?" Zelda snapped. "The 'first time around?' What's that supposed to mean?"

Link's face darkened.

"You're in love with Ganon," he stated. "Why?"

"Because he's my best and oldest friend. I love him more than I've ever loved anything or anybody."

"You can't be serious."

Zelda grew frustrated. "What? Why? What does any of it have to do with you?"

"He's evil!" Link argued, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm not from this universe!" he admitted. "Neither are you! And _neither—is—he_! You and I went on an adventure that lasted seven years. I traversed temples, caves, you name it—shed _blood _so that you and I could protect the kingdom from the evils of Ganondorf!"

The princess could feel a massive headache coming on. "What did Ganon do that was so evil?"

"He murdered townspeople—even the women, even the children. He killed your parents and tore down the walls of Hyrule Castle, and in its place built a battle fortress! He stole the Triforce from its pedestal, he even tried to kill _you! _Oh, don't give me that look. I'm not lying. He did everything he could to hunt you down and tear you to shreds. You hid from him. And if you hadn't he would have found you and beat you senseless."

"None of that ever happened!" Zelda screeched. "Ganon never did any of those things! He was raised here, in Hyrule! He learned Hyrulean etiquette, he became a gentleman, a Royal Advisor! He's a favorite of the king! He helped to end a conspiracy that would have put a tyrant on the throne! He even abdicated his position in Gerudo Valley for Hyrule's sake! And he loves me. Ganon's been nothing but good to me. He's gentle. He once killed someone, and he's regretted it all these years."

"The Ganon I knew built himself on hate and paranoia."

"The Ganon I know—the _true _Ganon—builds himself on love and hope."

Link took a step back from the princess. "If you marry him, he will become king."

"I know that."

Link was quiet. He took another few steps away. And then he slammed his fist into the wall and gave a cry of anguish.

"I WON'T HAVE THIS!" he cried. He turned to Zelda in desperation, tears brimming in his eyes. "You don't know what I went through!" he cried. "You don't know about the years I spent giving _everything I had _so that we could clear Hyrule of Ganondorf! I lost so much to him— everybody I'd cared about all my life—dead or gone because he'd chased them away."

"You're just saying those things!" said Zelda, completely abhorred at what she was hearing. "Ganon would never do that! You're making it all up! You just don't want him on the throne because you're—you're racist, that's why! You're racist just like every other good-for-nothing Hylian!"

"It's not a lie!" Link yelled in retaliation. "It's all true—it all happened—I sealed Ganondorf away in the Sacred Realm when it was all over! And you want proof? Here's the proof—the Ocarina of Time that you keep on your mantelpiece."

Zelda froze. "How do you know about that?" she asked quietly. "How do you know it's on the mantelpiece?"

"You told me once," Link explained. "You even gave it to me. And your nursemaid—Impa—she taught me one song. Just one. She said she sang you to sleep with it every night. She called it Zelda's Lullaby."

Zelda hadn't noticed how close Link had become, but there he was. His hands were on her shoulders and she could smell him again. She knew him, knew every last piece of his personality.

"If you fought him, and sealed him away," Zelda said, trembling, "then how is he here now? How are _we _here now? And how come he's not evil like you say he was?"

"After it was all over," Link said, "you sent me back in time to re-start my life. The only problem was that I still had all my memories from the adventure. And, after all that bloodshed, I was going to be sure that—this time around—Ganondorf wasn't able to wreak havoc on Hyrule."

"But he won't. He would never."

"He would, and he still will. He doesn't love you, Zelda."

"He loves me! I know he loves me!"

"He's only marrying you so he can take the throne!"

"No, he's only taking the throne so he can marry me!"

"After all the things I told you he did, you're still going to believe that?"

"It doesn't make any difference to me," Zelda said. "The man you described is not the man I love. They may share a body, but they do not share a heart."

Link looked at her coldly. "I told you what I went through. I lost so much because of that no good son-of-a-... pardon me. I won't let this chance pass me by. I'm punishing him twice over."

"But he didn't _do _anything!" Zelda protested, her hands clasping her head. "Goddesses above, you're a madman! I can't believe I didn't see it before! You're just as crazy as Robin Chilcott!"

Link looked interested. "Is that the man Ganon killed?"

"It was a death sentence! Robin killed my mother to take the throne!"

"Ganondorf killed your mother for the same exact reason, and yet you love him!"

"_He's a different man!"_

"He's the same to me!" Link yelled. He grew suddenly and inexplicably calm. "He's the same to me."

For the first time, Zelda sensed weakness in the farm boy. He slouched to the ground and leaned against the wall. "I'm afraid for you. I'm afraid he'll be bad to you. I want him punished, and you want him to be king. And the problem is… the problem, Zelda, is that we're both so biased for different reasons. It's not fair if we argue about it. We need somebody to argue for us—somebody from the outside, somebody who will settle the dispute." He looked at her wearily. "Ganon must be put on trial. I will tell my story, and you will tell yours. And the judge will decide his fate."

Zelda looked desperate. "No," she begged. "Please—"

"If he has nothing to hide," Link reasoned, "then you have nothing to fear. I _will _have Ganon put on trial for his crimes. I will not rest until one of us is gone."

Zelda eyed him coldly. "Well, then," she said. "Let us hope it is you."

…

"…Of course," Malon rambled after three glasses of champagne, "people are always saying that Link and I should hook up, but I always tell them, no, Link and I are just friends." She took a swig out of her glass.

Malon had been telling Ganon all about the boy she worked with on the ranch named Link.

"That's the exact opposite of what Zelda and I get," Ganon admitted. He looked at Malon, who was quite pink in the face, and laughed.

"I've kissed Link," said Malon thoughtfully. "I guess that counts, doesn't it? I kissed him once behind the barn. But that was it."

Where was Zelda? She had been gone for quite awhile. Not that anybody but Ganon had noticed.

"One time, behind the barn, Link stuck his hand up my skirt. A lot of stuff happens behind that barn."

"I thought you'd only kissed him once," Ganon mused.

"Nope. I've kissed him hundreds of times. Link's my boyfriend."

"But you just said—"

"Oh, forget what I said! I'm just kidding."

"About what?"

"About all of it. Link and I aren't together. We just work together."

"Oh. I see."

"The skirt thing really did happen, though. I wasn't kidding about that."

Ganon narrowed his eyes. Did Malon even realize that she was talking to him?

A few seconds later, Ganon saw Zelda sneak back into the room. He left Malon to go talk to her. (Malon didn't seem to notice Ganon as he stood up and left, because she continued talking to the empty space in front of her.)

"Where were you?" asked Ganon under his breath.

"I went out for some fresh air," Zelda said. "I'll tell you all about it later."

"Very well," Ganon agreed.

Zelda continued pacing across the room until she reached the table at which Fraser Gunn was sitting.

"Mr. Gunn," she greeted pleasantly. Fraser looked up and smiled.

"Why—Princess Zelda! Fancy meeting you here."

"Well, I live here, so yeah…"

"Right, right!" Fraser cleared his throat. "Um… allow me to introduce my, uh, my wife. This is Lady Sybil Gunn…." Fraser looked away bashfully, remembering with full force his shameful feelings for the princess.

"May I have this next dance?" asked the princess.

Fraser glanced at Sybil, who wasn't paying much attention.

"Very well," he said. He took her hand and they went out onto the dance floor, where a quick tune was playing.

"How are you?" asked Fraser.

"Not very well at all," Zelda answered. "You've met my fiancée, Ganon, haven't you?"

"I'm pleased to say I have," Fraser deadpanned.

"He's in a spot of trouble. Legal trouble. There's going to be a court case concerning him. I'm not sure when, but you mustn't tell anybody about it. It's all a very big secret right now. But when the time comes, and Ganon needs a lawyer… I want it to be you. You're a very smart young man and I know you won't degrade him for his race. And so you must promise me that you will help."

"I could never deny you anything, Your Highness," Fraser said with quite brutal honesty.

Zelda didn't smile, but Fraser could tell she was pleased.

After awhile, she said, "I didn't realize you were married."

"I was hoping you wouldn't," Fraser disclosed. "The way I treated you… it's no secret that I liked you. I still do, to be honest. But it was betrayal to my wife on my part and I hope you'll find it in yourself not to judge me. You're a very wonderful young woman, Zelda, and you will make a fantastic queen."

Zelda smiled to herself.

"Are we friends, Mr. Gunn?" she asked.

Fraser only smiled. "I suppose we are."

"I've never had many friends but Ganon. Perhaps we should get to know more of each other sometime."

"That sounds quite splendid," Fraser said. And when Zelda looked up at him and smiled, he felt a thrill run through him that only she could supply.

…

The night was drawing to a close and only a few guests remained dancing now. Most of the party guests had retreated to the guest rooms the castle had supplied for them.

Ganon had taken a page out of Zelda's book and was pacing the courtyards quietly. He was alone—a sensation that he quite enjoyed.

All was quiet—the rustling of leaves, the echo of his footsteps, and his own breathing were the only sounds he heard. Flowers sprung up on either side of him, and he was reminded again of his great fondness for them.

Things were going exceptionally well for him. He was engaged to Zelda. The kingdom had accepted his oncoming rule. And because of this, he was finally allowed to dream of things that could really happen.

A wedding.

A home.

And maybe, someday, a family with Zelda.

The thoughts were strange and foreign—for all of his daughters in Gerudo Valley, he had never loved one of them. But the thought of someday having a child with Zelda enchanted him, and he couldn't deny that this child he would love beyond compare.

He turned the corner and stopped in his tracks. He had walked in on a young couple, who had been dancing behind the hedge. They hadn't seemed to notice him, so he turned to walk away—and stopped again.

He pivoted to face the couple, and frowned. They hadn't noticed him because they weren't real. But they were happy and in love, just as Ganon remembered them to have been before he had killed them.

He watched them for a few more minutes. Zelda found him like this a few minutes later.

"Aren't you chilly?" she asked. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Everyone else has gone to bed… what is it you're looking at?"

"Don't you see them?" said Ganon.

Zelda shook her head. "I see only you," she answered. "Come on, Ganon, let's go to bed…."

She tugged at his elbow, but he didn't want to move.

_Robin and Anju, dancing right in front of him_.

After a few seconds that seemed longer than they really were, Ganon followed in Zelda's footsteps.

**The next few chapters will revolve around Ganon and his upcoming criminal trial. We'll see some themes returning that were brought up in the very first chapters as the story comes to a climax and then a close.**

**We're almost done. I swear. **

_Please take the time to leave a review._


	12. Preparation

"I didn't _say _I was breaking off the engagement, I said I was postponing the wedding!"

Ganon looked at Zelda in disbelief. "How can you push back a date that hasn't been set?" he countered incredulously.

"Listen, Ganon, I don't want to argue with you. Really. I don't."

"Then just tell me why we can't get married this summer!"

They were sitting in the drawing room. A servant stood nearby polishing a candelabra. With a groan, Zelda threw her arms in the air.

"It's nothing!" she said.

"What—_dammit, _Zelda, stop being such a— well, you know, a—"

"No, I get it…" her head collapsed into her palm. "It's just such a pain, you know, dealing with the kingdom and knowing I'll be queen sooner and later and—"

"You're not telling me something. You've got a secret."

Zelda's head snapped up. "You always know," she said dully. "How do you always know?"

"If we're going to be married, we need to be on the same page. We have to trust each other—fully and unconditionally. Now what aren't you telling me?"

The servant had stopped polishing and was standing frozen in place.

"Well?" said Zelda. "You can leave, if you're finished. No need to eavesdrop."

The servant squeaked quickly and scurried off, snapping the door shut behind them.

"You've been falsely accused," Zelda claimed.

"Again? Of what?"

"Tyranny."

"Tyranny. It's always tyranny. I could _sneeze _and it would be tyranny. Who was it this time? A castle guard? A merchant? The man who lives in the back-alleys and rants about the end of the world?"

"A farm boy," Zelda answered simply.

"Oh. Even better," Ganon commented, thick with sarcasm. "At least the man in the back-alleys is reliable."

"His name was Link," Zelda continued. Ganon stopped short.

"Link? From last night? Malon's boyfriend?"

"If that's the case, then I'm sorry for Malon. He's a madman, Ganon."

"Well, out with it, then. What treasonous crime have I committed now?"

"According to Link, there's a… well, a list of things."

"Tell me."

"You killed my parents, you tore down the walls of Hyrule Castle, conducted a massacre of Castle Town…" she counted on her fingers as she spoke. "You took control of Hyrule and declared yourself king, all the while chasing after me in an attempt to kill me."

A pause. "What the _hell_."

"Oh—yeah—after that, you and Link fought to the death. He won, sealed you in the mythical Sacred Realm, and then I sent the three of us back in time to re-live our lives."

Now Ganon straight-out laughed. "_Nayru_, Zelda, how drunk _was _he?"

"Not drunk at all," Zelda answered, shifting her weight. "That's what makes me nervous."

"Wait—you're kidding. You _believe _him?"

"I'm not sure," answered Zelda. "There was a moment—when I first saw him… I _recognized _him. I knew him—his name, the way his voice sounded—all before he opened his mouth."

"Maybe you met him as a kid and you just don't remember."

"If I had met him, you would have, too."

"Well, that rules that theory out…" Ganon heaved a sigh. "What's he going to do about it?" Ganon asked.

"He threatened to take it to court," Zelda claimed. "Well," she reconsidered, "he didn't really _threaten_. He made it sound more like he _planned _to take it to court."

"And how does he possibly think he could win?"

"He couldn't. He can't. It's so obvious—Hyrule Castle's in one piece, my father is still alive, and—well—obviously, there's you. You're not trying to kill me… Ganon, you're not trying to kill me, right?"

Ganon got to his feet and paced to the other side of the room, rubbing his chin. "Did he have any proof? Of it happening, I mean?"

"Yeah," said Zelda. "He said… about the Ocarina…"

Ganon's brow furrowed. "Come again?"

"Look on the mantelpiece," Zelda ordered. "There… in the case…"

Ganon turned around and retrieved the blue ocarina from its resting place.

"This? This flute—ocarina—whatever? How is this any proof?"

"Well, he knew what it was. He knew what it was called. And he said he had met Impa, he said Impa had taught him the lullaby she sang to me as a baby."

"Was it called Zelda's Lullaby?" Ganon joked.

"How'd you know?" asked Zelda, narrowing her eyes.

"Lucky guess," Ganon answered sarcastically. "Chances are, he did the same."

"But he knew we had an ocarina. He knew we kept it on the mantelpiece."

"Well, we were gone for two years. He might have been here in the time we were away. Maybe he passed the room and caught sight of it."

"He knew it was called the Ocarina of Time."

Here, Ganon stopped. "Is that what it's called?"

"Link said so."

"Exactly. Link said so. He made the story up to keep me from getting the throne."

"You weren't there," Zelda said defensively. "You didn't hear his story—the way he told it. On paper, it seems too fantastic to be true. But when he told it, his face changed. His _eyes_ changed. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, Ganon. He wasn't lying."

"Oh, so you _do _believe him. You _believe _I did all those things."

"Not you," Zelda said. "A different man, with the same body and the same name. Link said something different must have happened this second time around to change you."

"Was I in love with you the first time?" asked Ganon. Zelda wondered why she hadn't considered this herself.

"I—I don't know. Maybe not. Maybe that's what changed you this time."

Ganon harrumphed.

"He's taking it to court, though. He's going to have you put on trial. A judge is going to sort things out. Link said he and I were both too biased about you to make it fair."

"What—where's my say in this? Suddenly I'm a _prop_? Just my luck. A woman and a farm boy arguing over my fate…."

Zelda knew Ganon was joking, but the words still hurt.

"I've asked Fraser Gunn to act in our defense," she claimed. Ganon turned around.

"Fraser Gunn? The man that was here a few nights ago?"

"Yes," Zelda answered. Ganon looked staggered.

"What did you tell him?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just that you were in some legal trouble. I'm surprised he was willing to do it," Zelda added.

"Oh, please," said Ganon bitterly. "Fraser Gunn would jump off of a cliff if you asked him to."

"He's not stupid, you know. Just because he's friendly doesn't mean he's not smart."

"I suppose not. But he'd better be a damn good lawyer. He's up against a crazy farm boy."

"You're not taking this seriously," Zelda accused.

"It's just not a serious matter," Ganon countered.

But they both knew in their hearts it wasn't a joking matter, either.

…

"I'm sorry to hear about all of this," Fraser said once Zelda and Ganon had explained everything. They were crowded around a table in the library. Fraser combed a hand through his dark hair.

"So are we," Zelda said. "It's the last thing we need, especially now."

"It's such a busy time in our lives," Ganon continued. "Getting married—taking the throne—it's very confusing and difficult."

Fraser sighed and leaned back. "We'll have to put together a plan," he claimed. "Do you have any idea when the story is meant to be taken to court?"

"Not really," Zelda answered. "Sooner than later, if I'm not mistaken. Link seemed eager to get his revenge—he acted like he'd waited a long time."

"My God, he's a madman," mumbled Fraser.

"We've established that," Ganon deadpanned.

"What evidence does he have against you?" asked Fraser.

"He knows secrets about Hyrule that only part of the Royal Family would know—the Ocarina of Time, for example. I checked with my father—that ocarina has been in our family as far back as anyone can remember. My father said the name is accurate."

"How very curious. Anything besides that, though?"

"No, not really. He was very convincing."

"Do _you _believe him?" Fraser continued.

"I'm not sure. I know I shouldn't, but I'm afraid I do."

Fraser shook his head. "That's not enough. To the court, he'll only be a persuasive man with a story about a flute."

"You don't know that. Nobody has called a criminal trial in years. That could be all it takes to convince the jury—"

"Hyrule isn't filled with idiots. The jury will see right through that story. What we need to worry about is evidence of crimes Ganon _has _committed—and they don't need to be big. They don't even need to be bad. They just need to be things that Ganon has done here and there that will get the jury's minds reeling with ideas. Mention one time Ganon stepped out of line and, boom— the jury's opinion of him will change like _that_. One story against him is all it takes to turn the tables."

Ganon shifted uncomfortably.

"I've done a lot of crap," he stated. It was the most blunt he had ever been about anything.

"Elaborate," Fraser commanded.

Ganon hesitated, and then said, "Everybody knows what I did to Robin. But… they don't know the whole story. All they know is that he killed the queen and I killed him as a penalty."

"What about that story is missing, then?" asked Fraser.

"Most of it," Ganon admitted. "First off, Robin wasn't the only one behind the queen's murder. There were three people behind it—Robin Chilcott, his father, and a man who used to brew potions in Castle Town. Do you, by any chance, know the names?"

"I've checked records of old Castle Town citizens. Robin Chilcott, of course, is a name I am familiar with. His father was named Timothy—Timothy Chilcott. And the medicine man that you referred to was called Fisher Dixon."

"Well, the whole story is very long and complicated," Ganon claimed. "Basically, Robin and his father showed up in Hyrule about three years ago, when Zelda was thirteen. Robin wanted to marry her and he made it very clear from the start that it was because he wanted Hyrule Castle and Hyrule. Most people realized that early on, and the Royal Family was so eager for an heir to the throne that they were ready to hand it straight to Robin. It was common knowledge that, if he could marry Zelda, he'd have the rights to the throne."

"But it didn't happen."

"No," Ganon continued. "Zelda didn't accept his offers of marriage and Robin became visibly frustrated. During this time, Zelda's mother fell ill and subsequently passed away. The funeral and burial were held in Kakariko Village, where an autopsy was performed on the queen. It turned out that she had been killed by an expertly brewed death potion."

"Ah," Fraser said.

"I was at the autopsy and, at first, everything was very confusing. During her illness, only a few people had access to the queen's bedside and those people were her chambermaid and Timothy Chilcott. The gardener and housekeeper, who were at the autopsy with me, had caught Chilcott performing suspicious acts—such as stealing highly toxic plants from the garden."

Fraser seemed to find the story quite interesting, as he was dead silent and watching wide-eyed. Perhaps he realized that he was one of the only people in the world to know the full story.

"Chilcott became our prime suspect," Ganon said. "While we were in Kakariko Village, Robin started dating a girl named Anju. Fisher Dixon had been her cousin, and I overheard some of her conversation with Robin about him—it turned out that Fisher was dead. Aware that he had owned the medicine shop in Castle Town, I rode back into the marketplace from Kakariko and found his body. He had been killed by the same death potion that had killed the queen. I came to the conclusion that the Chilcotts had been behind not one, but both of the deaths, and was able to piece together the story that Robin or Mr. Chilcott had forced the potion maker to brew the death potion, had tested it on the potion man, and from there gave it to the queen."

"And that's the full story?" Fraser said.

"Yes," Ganon said. "That's it."

"That's incredibly useful," Fraser said. "If even for a second they think you're any type of tyrant, we can use this story to counter it. It will explain your reasons behind your murder of Robin—obviously, to protect Hyrule from putting a liar on the throne—and will make you look like some type of hero. The jury will admire it."

"There's something we're forgetting," Zelda said blatantly.

"What's that?" asked Fraser.

"We ran away. After Robin died, Ganon and I ran away to Gerudo Valley."

"To escape the law?" asked Fraser.

"More or less," Ganon answered. "More than anything, I felt the need to return to the desert. I was a king there—I owed something to my people. Furthermore, I thought that by relinquishing my position as king I might better my chances at marrying Zelda."

"So it would seem," Fraser said. He stood up and began to pace. "People will make up plenty of stories to counter yours. They will say Ganon made the story up and killed the queen himself in order to better his chances at the throne."

"But that's false."

"Exactly! And the best thing about a false story is that you can _prove _it false. Witnesses are key. You said there were a housekeeper and a gardener at the autopsy?"

"I did."

"Do they still work here?"

"They do."

Fraser clapped his hands together. "Perfect. They'll be essential to this case. When we learn more about the date of the trial, I'll contact them. In the meantime, let's discuss other ways to glorify Ganon in front of the jury….

…

The next few weeks were a frantic blur in which to prepare for the trial. They received word that a date had been set—July the 18th—and by this point that was only a month away.

Fraser was at the castle every day, and for every day he was there a better bond developed between him, Ganon, and the princess. It was strange for the couple to have another friend but, at the same time, it was enthralling. They knew beyond doubt that Fraser would not let them down—he would do everything, _everything _he could to make sure they came out of the case all right.

They discussed things as small as pranks Ganon had played around the castle as a child, just to make sure that none of them were disturbing enough to bother the jury. From sneaking out of the castle into the market to stealing petty things from servants, it was all discussed and thoroughly examined.

Ganon also came out with one more thing—his murder of Anju. Zelda had known this story since it happened but even Fraser found it to be quite disturbing. Nevertheless, they came up with a plan—don't mention it, and hope like hell it doesn't come up. It was a crime—a crime enough to send any jury into an uproar—and there was just no way of explaining it. It was something that had been spur—of—the—moment, done in cold blood and left behind as only that. Nobody knew she had been killed, though. The evidence was drowned at the bottom of the Zora River.

Their best hope was to unleash the story about Robin, give the witnesses, and make Ganon look like a hero. No jury could turn that down.

…

_It was hot. The air was dry. Zelda knew this place—it was Gerudo Desert. She was in an arena, watching in terror as Ganon was chained to a great slab of stone. He pulled at the chains but went nowhere, scraping his feet on the ground in fruitless motions. He was trapped. Six bearded men descended in front of him and one pulled out a great, shining sword. She saw Ganon brace himself. She did the same. And then the men lunged._

Zelda's eyes opened.

"Zel, are you okay? You're whimpering… and sweating."

It took her a few seconds to come into the real world. It was cool and dark. She was in her own bed—well, Ganon's bed—well, their bed. She gave a soft moan and curled up into his chest.

"Bad dream?"

"The same dream," she answered.

"You're just worried we'll lose the trial tomorrow."

"I know."

"But we _can't_, Zel. We've got everything worked out. Fraser knows everything, and we know Fraser. He's not an idiot. He'll win over the jury."

"Ganon," she said, "the jury consists of eight men of Hyrule's most elite. They'll be Hylians, you know. They'll be rich, stuffy Hylians."

"Your point?"

"You said after your first meeting on the Royal Council that you thought all of the racism in Hyrule would cause something bad to happen."

"…I've considered that," he said. "But they were so fond of me at the Royal Ball. I haven't heard the word _gypsy _in months. Do you really think they'll patronize me because I'm _Gerudo_?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I just don't know."

Ganon paused, and then said, "You believe him. You believe Link."

"I do," she answered guiltily.

"You know I'd never hurt you, Zelda. I don't care what he says. I hate hearing that I would. It feels terrible. To think I did all those things… To think I tried to _kill _you…." And to Zelda's utmost surprise, he began to weep.

"Shh," she whispered, stroking his hair. "I know that. I know that…."

The rest of the night was quiet and tender.

…But would it be their last?

**Nobody reads this anymore, haha. :P Oh well, at this point, I'll just finish anyway.**


	13. The Killing Room

_Chapter 12: "The Killing Room"_

The old castle courtroom hadn't been used in years.

In fact, it hadn't even been _opened _in years. The doors had been locked shut for the longest time. But a trial had been called for and a jury had been summoned, and now it was time to recover Hyrule's submerged judiciary traditions and put them to good use.

It was the talk of the town. Almost every Hylian in a twenty mile radius would be crammed into the courtroom to witness the trial of their future king. It was fabulous and terrifying and something they knew they'd never be able to forget.

And besides the glamour of the court case itself, the courtroom was nothing less than magnificent. The ceiling stretched up for what seemed like miles, and there were three arched windows that stood in a row. The convict was kept on a balcony on one side of the room. On the other side, the judge and the jury took their place. There was also a podium for those who would testify.

The room had been dusted, polished, freed of its cobwebs. The king had even called in an exorcist to rid the room of any ghosts that might have taken a liking to it. And by seven o' clock on the morning of July the eighteenth, there were over one hundred Hylian men and women packed in the room to watch the trial like one might watch a stage drama.

…

Ganon hadn't slept much that night, and by the time Impa came to rouse him, he'd already been up for hours.

Zelda was hardly able to function, she was so nervous. She dressed as well as she could, and Impa made a point of doing the same to Ganon. They even powdered his face, in the hopes that giving him a more Hylian appearance might sway the jury in his direction.

They ate a small breakfast and tried to avoid all of the castle visitors, still flooding into the courtroom in the hopes of getting a good seat.

"They're all so inconsiderate," Zelda had remarked somberly. "I want to hit them all in the face. With a chair. A five-hundred pound chair."

Ganon was quiet for most of the morning, not saying much. Fraser was allowed only a few minutes with them before the trial began.

"Remember everything we discussed before," he reminded them. "Remain calm. We have everything under control."

"Do you know who the judge is?" Zelda asked.

"The judge is a middle-aged Hylian man. He looks rather patient and pleasant—we might have a chance with him."

"And the jury?"

"The jury is just as old and stuffy as I expected," Fraser lamented. "However, we mustn't worry ourselves over the matter. Link's lawyer is old, too. He looks forgetful. Maybe if you speak quickly enough, you can throw him off."

From breakfast they were escorted towards the courtroom. Zelda was led away from Ganon to sit with her father, but not before she could give him a quick kiss for luck.

"We'll be fine," she promised him. And in his heart, Ganon was sure she was right.

It was nine o' clock before the courtroom grew hushed over. After that, a dropped pin could cause a disturbance. Two guards ushered Ganon into his place in the room, where he stood tall and alert. The judge tapped his mallet a few times and announced that court was now in session. The doors to the courtroom closed, and the trial began.

The judge stood and addressed Fraser, who had taken a seat in the front of the courtroom behind a table.

"Mr. Gunn," he claimed, "you are here today in defense of this young man, Ganon. Charges against him include—but are not limited to—mass murder, property damage, physical abuse against Hyrulean youth, and assassination of government figures."

"All of which he has denied. Your honor, my client would like to plead innocent," Fraser said.

"If he is found guilty," the judge clarified—and it was obvious that he found this very unlikely—"then he will be sentenced to death by way of the Sages' Sword."

The sages' sword—a method of execution that was carried out in the desert by six wise men. The punishment hadn't been called for in centuries, but it wasn't gone.

"I understand," Fraser said, and it was clear that nobody expected Ganon to be found guilty.

The judge nodded and then called Link up to testify first in Ganon's persecution. He was dressed in his green tunic and was quick to ascend to the podium. The judge presented him with a sword and Link put two fingers on the blunt part of the blade, swearing to tell the truth. Then he stood up straight and, by request, told his story exactly as he had told it to Zelda. He explained that he knew how crazy it sounded, but that every last piece of it was true. He described Ganon's brutal actions, the war that ensued, and the way he'd been sent into the past when it was all over.

It seemed pretty obvious right off the bat that his story was too weak to be effective, and that, if Ganon was to be punished, then his actions from _this lifetime _would have to be analyzed by the court. Just as Fraser had anticipated, a new search began to find evidence that Ganon had treasonous intentions from the past eighteen years.

Link descended from the podium and his lawyer took charge of the case. The first to be called up to testify in Ganon's defense was King Harkinian himself. He was presented with the sword, swore to tell the truth, and then the examination began.

The lawyer began to question him immediately.

"Your Highness, Did Ganon ever do or say anything that would lead you to believe he was after your spot for his own personal benefit?"

"No," the king answered.

"Did you ever feel threatened that Ganon might attack you in order to become closer to the throne?"

"Never."

"Are there any other ways, besides violence, that ever implied an ascent toward the throne?"

"Well, of course," the king stated. "Ganon was—actually, he still is—meant to take the throne when he marries my daughter, Zelda.

The lawyer found this quite interesting.

"And did your daughter consent to this marriage?"

The king looked almost surprised. "Yes, she did. I believe in my heart she loves him very much."

The lawyer stood and paced toward the king. "If I recall correctly, the princess went missing a few years ago with the man in question. What is the proof that Zelda went with him willingly? Perhaps the man kidnapped her and forced her to consent to marriage. Did this ever cross your mind?"

The king looked troubled, but he answered with a great amount of firmness, "No. It never crossed my mind. And I refuse to let it sway me now. I am positive that my daughter ran off willingly, and so did she return to Hyrule willingly."

"I see," the lawyer harrumphed, and he leaned back against the table. Now he seemed even more interested.

"There has been talk," he continued, "of Hyrule Castle's need for an heir. Obviously, Zelda's marriage to Ganon would put one in place."

"That's all true," the king said.

"But say- perhaps- there had been another heir. It is my belief that you once intended to pass the throne onto one Robin Chilcott. Do you deny this?"

"I do not deny it," the king answered.

"And were you aware, Your Highness, that Robin Chilcott was murdered by Ganon?"

"I was," the king answered reluctantly.

"Does it not seem highly coincidental that Ganon murdered Robin and then took his place several years later? It is almost as if the prisoner in question murdered Robin in order to better his chances with the princess and, subsequently, the throne."

At this, Zelda leapt up in rage. "No!" she screamed. "This is wrong, Robin wasn't in line for the throne at the time of his death! Robin cut himself off, his father said so! Killing Robin wouldn't have gotten Ganon any closer-"

"Sit down!" cried the judge in a visible fury. Tears brimmed in Zelda's eyes as she took her seat.

"Please continue," said the judge, wiping the sweat from his brow.

The lawyer nodded and straightened out his tailcoat.

"I am led to believe, Your Highness, that Ganon's recent alignment with the throne and Robin Chilcott's untimely death were not two separate entities, but instead part of one elaborate plan. It is true that Master Link's testimony cannot be proven by the evidence we have been given, but the facts surrounding Ganon's so-called 'legal' ascension to the throne all point in the same direction: Ganon murdered Robin, the proper heir to the throne, as a means of obtaining it himself. The evidence screams in all of our faces. It is impossible to avoid. And I believe it would be foolish of us to see it any other way."

The king looked furious. "I truly believe that the boy is innocent, but you have turned my evidence- which was in his favor- against him. You've all been ruined by your racist hearts, haven't you?" Red in the face, the king descended from the podium and took his seat beside Zelda.

The king's testimony had actually taken quite a bit of time out of the morning, and the crowd was growing restless. A short break was taken for a bit of lunch, as it was already nearing noon.

As most of the courtroom dispersed into the entrance hall, Zelda stuck behind with Ganon. Two guards remained in the room with them.

"I'm the next to testify," she told him.

"Just be wary of everything you say," Ganon advised. "Think of how you're going to word something before you even speak. Your evidence—although harmless—might point us in the wrong direction. Remember, this entire case, it's about precision. Your father wasn't wise enough in his wording."

"I'll be examined by Link's lawyer, and then Fraser will cross-examine me. That's what he said would happen, anyway."

"That's good. Once Fraser's up, he'll steal the show. All you have to do is stump Link's lawyer."

"I'll do my best," Zelda promised.

…

After awhile, the court reassembled. Zelda was called up to the podium. She felt wobbly, and her steps felt ghost-like as she ascended the staircase. She took a deep breath and swore over the sword to tell the truth. Then, she took her spot at the front of the crowd.

The podium, which was made of wood, was engraved with many elaborate designs. Zelda was filled with spite at the idea that somebody would create something so beautiful to decorate a killing room.

"Your Highness," addressed Link's lawyer, who had gotten to his feet. He gave a short bow of the head.

Zelda didn't know whether she was meant to greet him, so she simply remained silent. After awhile, the lawyer asked how she first met Ganon.

Zelda recalled regretfully that Ganon had stolen a piece of jewelry when they were kids, and that he had been escorted into the castle by two soldiers.

"Were you aware then that Ganon, although young, already had a significant criminal record in both Hyrule and Gerudo Valley?" the lawyer asked.

"He was a thief, but it was part of his culture and was never done with any intention of harm. He stole petty things- jewelry and street wares, mostly. But I never viewed him as dangerous. I still don't."

"Did you ever see him commit any crime firsthand?"

Zelda hesitated.

"Answer, girl," the lawyer warned.

"Once," she answered reluctantly, "when we were very young. He took a screw from a construction site as part of a practical joke. But he returned it. It meant nothing."

"And you never reported it until now?"

Zelda scanned her thoughts_. If I answer yes,_ she realized, _they will ask whether it is because I thought Ganon would get into legal trouble. Then they will assume that I have been covering up Ganon's crimes since we were children.  
_  
She chose her next words very carefully. "I didn't think of it as any more than child's play. It seemed a pointless thing to report."

The lawyer nodded, and Zelda could tell from the short silence that followed that she had stumped him.

Finally he proceeded.

"For what reason did you and Mr. Ganon take off for Gerudo Valley?" he asked.

"He was the heir to the Gerudo throne. He wanted to become king so that he and I could marry."

"But he is not king."

"No, not anymore. He abandoned the throne to return to Hyrule."

"Why?"

"Because I was returning to Hyrule, and he said he didn't want to be without me."

A soft "aww" from one side of the room.

"And now you are engaged."

"Quite happily, Sir."

"Did it ever occur to you that, once he takes the throne, he might abdicate it just as he left Gerudo Valley?"

"I have considered the idea every now and again, but no more than I would with any other husband. Ganon is... very _fond_of Hyrule. He's told me many times."

The lawyer sighed and his hand fell into his face. At this, Zelda bowed her head and smiled. She had been of no use to the lawyer- this she knew- and now it was time for Fraser's cross-examination.

Now she would say everything she knew.

Link's lawyer took a seat and Fraser stood up, approaching the podium. As he did so, he gave Zelda a small wink.

"Good day, your honor," he said, addressing the judge.

"Not really," the judge droned in response. The whole room laughed- Fraser was good at relaxing a group of people; good at clearing the room of tension.

He looked up at Zelda, cleared his throat and said, "Now, tell me about Robin Chilcott."

It was straight to the point, and Zelda knew Fraser had a plan up his sleeve.

"Robin Chilcott came to stay at the palace when I was thirteen," Zelda recited. Fraser knew the story and could have told it backwards, but the entire courtroom needed to hear it, too. "Robin made it very clear from the start that he wanted to marry me as a means of taking the throne. I feel quite sure that there was no emotion, no compassion involved in his decision."

"Did you accept him?"

"I didn't know what to do. I understood Hyrule's desperation for an heir, and knew it was only a matter of time before one was chosen- with or without my consent. A woman isn't allowed to inherit the throne all by herself, you see, so I figured that a marriage to Robin would at least keep Hyrule in my bloodline."

"But it has come to my knowledge that you did not end up accepting his offer. Tell us about that."

Zelda made sure to stand up straighter. "It was Ganon. He realized that Robin and his father were up to no good, and he warned me to be wary of them. I was, for awhile, and it turned out that Robin and Mr. Chilcott were behind the assassination of my mother, Queen Zelda."

"We've heard this story before," said Fraser, "but many of us took it as urban legend. It is true, then, that Chilcott and Robin killed the queen?"

"It is true, all of it- which is proof that Ganon's speculations had been correct. Ganon's very smart- very observant- if not for him, that crooked Robin Chilcott might be on the throne."

"So you suspect that Ganon killed Robin as part of a death penalty?"

"Yes."

"But why the son, instead of the father?"

"We knew that Mr. Chilcott would not be compelled to chase the throne if his son was dead."

"Hold on," interrupted Link's judge. "Why wasn't this ever taken to court?"

"Hyrule's judicial system hasn't been used in years," Fraser answered. "Why _would_it have been taken to court?"

"But she didn't tell me a word of this when I examined her!"

"You didn't ask," said Zelda smugly.

"Can you provide a single witness, though? This theory could be naught but folly! Who says that Ganon didn't kill the queen and use the Chilcott name as a scapegoat?"

""Of course we can provide witnesses," said Fraser, and it was clear he had been waiting for this. "I believe Hyrule Castle's gardener and housekeeper would understand."

The gardener, who had been sitting with Zelda and the king, got to his feet and took Zelda's place at the podium. Zelda stood off to the side as the gardener took an oath over the sword and then told his side of the story. He explained his early suspicions of Mr. Chilcott—how Chilcott had stolen poisonous plants from his garden, and how the autopsy had proven that the queen had been killed by poison. He described the way that all of the pieces of the puzzle fell together with the autopsy. The judge thanked the gardener and he returned to his seat. Zelda regained her spot at the front of the room.

"So there is proof that Mr. Chilcott was behind it. How do you know that Robin, too, was guilty and deserving of death?" asked Link's lawyer. Zelda smiled and pulled something out from a fold in her skirt.

"This is a sketch done by Ganon's hand. It was found in his horse's stable by a servant the night that he and I left for Gerudo Valley. It is a depiction of the man—Fisher Dixon—who brewed the potion that killed my mother. Robin was the only other person who knew Dixon had been killed. It was quite obvious that Robin was behind Dixon's death."

Link's lawyer was quiet, and Fraser spoke again. However, this time he did not address Zelda, but instead he addressed the jury.

"You can see the lengths this man, Ganon, went to in order to keep a tyrant off the throne. Without Ganon's interception, Robin would very easily be in power."

The jury was nodding in agreement, and Zelda could feel a weight being taken off of her shoulders. It was obvious—the jury had been persuaded into agreement. Fraser had done a brilliant job of incorporating Ganon's actions in the Robin case, and Link's lawyer had again hit a roadblock.

It was working.

It was actually working.

And Zelda had been so _nervous._

She caught Ganon's eye from across the room and resisted the urge to wink.

The room had grown quiet and Fraser was returning to his seat. The jury was discussing something amongst themselves, and Zelda had a feeling they were planning to set Ganon free.

Link leapt suddenly to his feet.

"Wait!" he cried, before anybody could make a decision. The court froze as he cast aside all proper court procedure and ran up to the podium. Zelda had to dive out of his way to avoid being run over.

"Before you make a decision, there's one more thing you should consider!"

A hush fell across the jury as Link spoke. His voice was deep and compelling—he knew how to use it.

"This is all our second time living, even though only I can remember it. The first life I told you about—it _did _happen. I don't care whether you believe me. It did. And do you want to know something? In our past life…" he looked around the room. "In our past life, Ganon killed _all _of you."

The crowd gasped simultaneously. Link descended from the podium and paced the room slowly, selecting spectators at random and pointing them out. "You," he would say. "And you… and you… and you." He made sure to put a focus on the young women and the children who were in the room. "I saw all of your corpses," he said quietly. "I saw many of your ghosts. Or I saw your children's ghosts." He pointed out a young mother who was holding her toddler son by the hand. She was towards the front of the room, where most everybody could see her.

"I stood with you when he was buried," Link explained, pointing to the young blond boy. "I saw them nail him in a coffin. And I saw you fall apart _weeping _for him."

Fraser was outraged. "But where's the _proof_?" he cried.

"The proof is _with _me," Link said through gritted teeth. "I carry it around every day in the form of some unspeakable burden. You don't know it because you haven't felt it. But do you want to know what the proof is? Well, do you?" he was shouting, now. The onlookers stood, enthralled with the passionate man at the front of the room.

"The proof," Link cried, "is that I know each of your names, because I've seen all of your tombstones!" He pointed to people in the crowd one by one. "Ashby Akins!" he shouted, addressing a man sitting towards the front. He pointed to the woman next to him. "Marion Akins!" He continued going down the line. "Bessa Nash, Glynn Dewhurst, Parley Toulson, Sylvin Groundsell!" The list of names went on, and each one came out from Link's lips like a cry of pain. Finally, when he'd pointed out two dozen people, he clutched his head.

"I saw you all buried!" Link exclaimed. "And I destroyed the man who killed you!" he pointed at Ganon, who looked thoroughly bewildered. "And now—now that I did this for you—you are repaying me by glorifying the man who caused the wounds that will never heal. He's as dangerous as the earth is old. I will _not _see him crowned. I will do everything in my power to stop a catastrophe, and I am begging you—_begging _you—to do the same."

Link had grown weary, and he wasn't afraid to hide it. His chest heaved as he tried to fill his lungs with air. The crowd, however, had been driven into an uproar. Each name Link had called had been spot on and they knew it. Terrified and urged to action by Link's display, the crowd scrambled to their feet. They yelled in protest at the judge, argued with each other. Zelda watched in helpless horror, knowing there wasn't a thing she could do—

_One thing_, Fraser had said. One tiny thing was all it would take to turn the tables. And the tables had been turned.

The judge slammed his mallet repeatedly. "ORDER!" He was yelling at the top of his lungs. "ORDER IN THE COURT!"

And yet the pandemonium ensued until it had doubled, tripled, quadrupled. People were leaping over their chairs to get to the front of the room, forming a mob up against the podium. They pressed against each other, screaming at the jury, screaming at the judge, trying to sway them either one way or the other with everything they had. Even the jury had grown chaotic, arguing over Ganon's fate. One juryman socked another across the face as they argued. The scene turned into a brawl, as townsfolk attacked one another due to their clashing opinions of the future king. Ganon and Zelda were equally horrified and they abandoned their positions, running towards each other. The two guards on duty grabbed Ganon and held him back, while Impa grabbed the princess and held _her _back.

And then the king himself got to his feet and yelled, in his deep voice that was ten times louder than all the others combined, **"SILENCE!"**

And everything grew still. They turned to the king, and then to the judge, and then to the jury. One of eight elderly jurymen wobbled to his feet and said, in a voice remarkable similar to the croak of a frog, "The jury has come to a decision."

Dead silence. Everything had compressed itself, and for those few terrible moments, it was like the world had stopped.

"…Guilty as charged."

It was like the roof had fallen in. The crowd bellowed at the top of their lungs, and Zelda felt herself going deaf. This wasn't happening; there was no way this was happening—

-And then everything that existed ceased to matter and everything that mattered ceased to exist, and she and Ganon tore free of their shackles and full-on collided. All of the blood had left her head and all she could feel was a great bout of nothingness as the thundering crowd grew dull and she buried herself in Ganon.

And he was shaking, his body was an earthquake against Zelda's frame. She couldn't move, she was rooted here forever, her feet were gone, her _body _was gone, and she was nothing.

When it had happened, she didn't know, but the guards had wrenched the two apart and Zelda was in Impa's arms. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks because _this was wrong, it was all wrong_, and even Impa couldn't comfort her because Impa was crying, too.

_Death by way of the Sages' Sword._

This was impossible—couldn't there be an appeal?

No, of course not, because an appeal would never work. Not with the way this trial had turned out.

Zelda's brain fizzled out and she did the only thing she could do—find Fraser. He was charging at her through the crowd and she collapsed into _his _arms, because she simply had nowhere else to go.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry, I tried, you know I tried."

Impa appeared beside them, and the king, and they all glanced up at the balcony, where Ganon was being led away by the guards. They were taking him to the dungeon.

And then everything went black.

**Instead of doing my homework, I wrote two new chapters to **_**Flowers Don't Grow**_**. **

**My teachers were pissed.**

**But it was worth it.**

**I hope you have all been enjoying the story so far. The next chapter will describe the direct aftermath of the trial.**


	14. The Last Time

It was quiet.

_Too _quiet.

Zelda's eyes drifted open, and she wondered why she felt as if she'd been turned inside-out.

There was a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach.

But _why?_

She was in the drawing room. Somebody had laid her out on the couch. The clock ticked across the room. It was late afternoon, and the window had been opened. The drapes fluttered in the breeze.

Something smelled sweet, like flowers.

Flowers.

They didn't grow in the desert, did they?

And then she screamed as she remembered the trial. She screamed as loudly as she could until she had to gasp for breath, clutching the cushions with shaking white knuckles.

The door burst open and Impa appeared, visibly shaken. She restrained the princess as she struggled to free herself and run, for Impa had a terrible feeling that if Zelda had the opportunity she might deliberately injure herself.

Zelda continued to writhe and scream, and it took everything in Impa's power to make her stop. After several minutes, the screams subsided to wails, and the wails to whimpers, until Zelda did nothing but pant and stare at Impa with wide, alarmed eyes.

"Compose yourself," Impa finally ordered, a command she had given the princess many times growing up. Zelda was crushing Impa's hand with her own, but she hardly noticed. Whatever emotion going through Zelda right now, be it fear or worry or something completely different, was something Zelda had never experienced.

"Impa," she choked. "Oh, goddesses, Impa…" She collapsed. "Kill me," Zelda begged. "P-please. Impa. I can't live without him. Kill me, now, please, _Impa, please—" _

She was begging, the poor thing. Her tear-soaked skin contorted into an expression of pain as the princess lunged for the window. Impa slammed it shut.

"No," Impa said. Zelda shook with sobs.

"Why?" she howled. "If he dies, I want to go, too!"

"He's not dead yet, Zelda!" Impa said firmly. "His execution isn't for several days."

"Well then at least let me _see _him!" Zelda yelled. "At least let me hold him, just once more, before they take him to the desert. Impa, they _must _let me, they know what he means to me!"

"The townsfolk want to witness his execution firsthand. They've been casting lots on his belongings since the trial was over. That Link… he's smarter than we give him credit for."

Zelda's head fell into Impa's lap. "It's because he's Gerudo," she said. "Maybe not completely, but partially. If he had been Hylian—if he didn't look so tall and so terrifying—the world wouldn't be afraid of him. But they've been taught to fear him. They've all been taught to antagonize the Gerudo. To them… he's still nothing but a gypsy. To them… he was made to get rid of."

Impa tried her best to shush Zelda, rubbing the princess' back as she sobbed.

"In a few minutes," Impa instructed, "you're going to have to straighten up and go downstairs. There are several writers hoping to interview you for the bulletins. This is, of course, the most astonishing occurrence in the kingdom in a long time. It outweighs even your mother's death."

Zelda was quiet. Then, she spoke shakily.

"I will go down now," she said. Impa helped her wipe the tears from her face and then led her downstairs. A crowd had assembled in the entryway. They rushed up towards the princess with their notebooks, dying to get her word on the trial. Soldiers kept them from getting too close, but when one reporter asked her a question and the others grew quiet waiting for an answer, Zelda's answer was simple.

"Go to hell."

And then she continued her trek upstairs. She passed several servants and guards, who had grown to love Ganon and mourned with Zelda.

She passed the library and went up to Ganon's room. She had already anticipated that it would be empty, but it hurt all the same. The room was as it had been left that morning. There was a notice for Ganon on the desk summoning him to a royal meeting that would have been held the next week. A pair of shoes had been cast off and left in the corner. Last night's pajamas had been thrown on the ground and left there.

Slowly and without much conscious thought, Zelda cleaned up the room until it was no longer messy. The last thing she attended to was the writing desk, which she had never paid much attention to for all of the times she had been in this room. She took the summons and went to file it in the drawer—and then stopped.

The drawer was filled with drawings.

Paintings, sketches, penciled portraits—all of her, or of both of them. Memories so fond yet so faint, brought back to life by Ganon's skillful hand. She leafed through the sheets of paper, so colorfully and skillfully crafted.

They were simple things. A portrait of Zelda in a lace gown, an afternoon spent in Hyrule Field, a cartoon of Robin stealing a wine glass… and so many pictures of Zelda and Ganon that they couldn't be counted. Drawings of them as children, as teenagers, as adults. And they were so unbelievable beautiful.

These drawings were dated as far back as when they had been children. Was it possible that he had loved her since the day that they had met? That's what the drawings seemed to say.

And the implication that Ganon had loved her for every day they had known each other tugged on her heart until she was crying again. But this time, her tears were quiet, and they were her own. They didn't hurt as much, because the memories comforted her. She sank down into the bed covers, clutching a bundle of the illustrations to her chest and laying still, silent, serene.

…

"This way."

The soldiers had dragged Ganon out of the courtroom and now they led him into the dungeons. He had only been down here once or twice on childhood escapades. He had never dreamed that he would actually be kept here.

The floor was covered in straw and the ceiling leaked. Drunken prisoners pressed their faces up against the bars and reached out bony limbs toward Ganon, welcoming him into their home. Growing up, Ganon had never fathomed the idea that he was living alongside these men.

There was a cell at the end of the dungeon with a single window. Two guards threw him inside and the bars were slammed and locked shut behind him. He collapsed onto the floor and felt his face grind into the stone there.

There was a throbbing in his head and a soreness that refused to go away in his neck and shoulders. Exactly what had happened in the courtroom was still confusing to him, but all he knew was that he had only a few days left to live.

It was almost funny. He'd tried so hard his entire life to be an accomplished man. He'd worked for everything he had—a spot on the Royal Council, an engagement to Zelda, and a home with all of the people he loved.

To think he'd been _so close_, just to have all of it thrown away.

There was a grimy old man on the other side of the cell. Both his wrists and ankles were in shackles, and Ganon wondered what this man done to earn his place in the dungeons.

But his voice was caught in his throat and he couldn't bring himself to ask. Besides, the man was so limp and skinny in the corner, he was probably dead.

The afternoon wore on slowly. A guard would make rounds once every half-hour. It was a different guard each time. And each guard would stop and apologize to Ganon for the things that had happened. They, too, had grown up with Ganon. They had admired him.

The cell was quiet and the ceiling continued to leak.

The drops were like a clock. They were counting down.

…

The king sighed. It was nighttime by now and Zelda was standing with him in the throne room.

"Father, please. I must see him, just one more time. A few minutes, that's all I need. Let the guards give me just a few private moments with him."

The king was quiet. "I wish it was in my power to save him," he finally said. "What good is being king, anyway? In the end, the power is in the hands of the people." He glanced up wearily. "I'll see what I can do."

Zelda nodded and bowed swiftly before leaving the room. She paced the outside corridor quietly.

The castle itself had grown quiet with mourning, but the marketplace was a wreck. The brawl that had started in the courtroom had found its way to the streets, where chaos consumed the townspeople. Zelda wondered what was happening to Hyrule. Didn't the people realize they were ruining themselves?

She decided to leave the castle outright and crossed the drawbridge quietly, sitting down in the grass. The darkness felt good—it was cool and quiet.

To her surprise, a murky form ascended the castle pathway and stopped a few feet from her. The man stepped into a ray of moonlight and she recognized him immediately.

"Fraser," she said quietly. He sat beside her wordlessly.

"I'm—"

"Don't apologize," Zelda commanded. "You don't have to. You tried so hard… and I'm so sorry. I know it hurts you."

"I failed," Fraser stated simply.

"We all failed," Zelda argued. "You were brilliant. You tried so hard."

Fraser exhaled heavily. "My wife," he said. "She… she's dead."

Zelda felt a wave of shock run through her. "What? Why?"

"The fighting," Fraser answered. "Four people have died already. They're all killing each other."

"Mother Farore," said Zelda, her voice distant. "Was she fighting?"

"She was. There were three people trying to attack me at once—they were upset that I'd acted in Ganon's defense. One of them would have gotten me, but Sybil threw herself in the way."

"I'm—I'm so sorry, Fraser."

Fraser gave a nervous laugh. "It's ironic, isn't it? All my life, I was afraid of being doomed to her. Now, I wish I could have just a few minutes to thank her."

"We're losing everyone," Zelda claimed.

Fraser nodded. "That's why I'm here," he said. "It was the only place I could go. I knew you'd understand. You know, Zelda…" he turned towards her. "Zelda, if you ever need a friend, please, come to me. Because, in the years to come, we're both going to be in need of friends. And more than that, we're going to be in need of _each other_."

Zelda nodded slowly. "I know that," she said. His hand covered hers, and she gripped his firmly. It had started out as mindless attraction, but the friendship that they would develop in years to come would be as strong as stone.

Impa materialized behind them and cleared her throat.

"Your highness," she said, "you have been granted a half-hour with Ganon out on the balcony. You had better go now."

Zelda was on her feet and running, not even bothering to bid Fraser farewell. She ran through the entrance hall, up the staircase, into the dining hall, and straight out onto the balcony where she and Ganon had met many times.

He had been left alone, as there was nowhere he could escape to. He was leaning against the railing with his back turned, staring at the sky. When he heard Zelda shut the door behind her, he turned around.

They fell together like a magnet, not speaking or even seeing each other. All they needed to do was stand there and _know _the other one was with them.

"We have a half hour," Zelda finally said.

"This is the last time we'll ever be alone like this… on this balcony. Remember the first time we sat out here? We were watching the river… and you fell asleep on my shoulder…" Ganon's voice was soft.

When he looked at Zelda, there were tears in his eyes. She had rarely seen him cry, but now his eyes were wet and a silver tear traced a path down his nose, his lip, hung off of his chin.

Zelda didn't want to talk. She took his hand and turned it over in her own, tracing the surface of his rough red palm with her finger. Ganon pulled her in again and rested his lips in her hair. Another tear trickled down his face.

"This is wrong," Zelda whispered. "All we ever did was love each other. We were so close to happiness."

"We have happiness," Ganon answered. "We've reached it. This is the happiest we'll ever be. Zelda… you won't forget me, will you?"

Ganon hadn't wanted to say it. He knew it would sound childish if he did. The words had come out of his mouth against his will, and now he looked at Zelda in desperation. "Say you'll remember me," he begged.

"I couldn't forget you," she answered. "Not ever. That would be like… forgetting to breathe. You don't ever forget to breathe, do you? You don't even have to think to breathe. You just… _remember. _That's what it will be like with you. Even when my mind's on something else, I'll be remembering you."

Ganon smiled in spite of himself. "You have such a way of putting things…"

Zelda paused. "But I'm scared," she admitted. "Not scared for you, but for_ me_. I know it's selfish, but I've never lived without you. My whole life has been about you. Once you've left, it's just going to be me alone. Then what will my life be about?"

Ganon looked her in the eye. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"It will be about _you_." He broke away from her. "And it's high time, too," he admitted. "I don't deserve you. I think, somewhere, I've always known I don't deserve you. Not after all of the awful things I've done."

"But you didn't _do _awful things," Zelda argued. "You made _mistakes_. Stupid, teenage mistakes. Why can't the Hylians see that?"

"Because they've been taught that the Gerudo are liars and dirty and below them. That's the way it's always been. There's nothing we can do but hope that… maybe someday… the racism in the world will go away. Maybe in a hundred years, or two hundred, it won't matter that I was born with black skin and you were born white. Maybe there will be another princess, and another Gerudo, and _they'll _fall in love. And they'll be free to be married because racism will be gone. Someday, the Gerudo… they'll just be _people_, just like the Hylians. They won't be animals anymore."

Zelda was quiet. "I'm a princess," she muttered quietly. "And someday… someday I'll be queen. Someday soon." She looked Ganon dead in the eye. "And when I am, I'm going to fight. I'm going to change the way Hyrule works. I'll fight until all the racism in the world is gone. The Gerudo, they're people. They deserve rights. Same with the Gorons, and the Zora, and the Kokiri… I'm changing things," she said decisively. "I'm making a new world. And people are going to see—" she was speaking through gritted teeth now— "they're going to see, Ganon, that the strongest people aren't the people who've been given power. They're the people who were born without any and changed things anyway."

Ganon looked at her in awe. "You don't even know," he said.

"…Know what?"

"How amazing you are. And I am _so proud—" _he took her hands—"_so proud _of you."

And then Ganon was kissing Zelda with everything that he had. Her heart pounded against his chest. He tried to say what words couldn't with the kiss, wanting to communicate to her that she was more important to him than anything in the world, even himself, and that he loved her. He had always loved her. And he would love her with every fiber of his being for every last second that remained of his life.

The door to the balcony opened as two guards crashed the scene.

"Show's over," said one in a gruff voice. The kiss ended, but Ganon's arms remained locked around the princess.

_This is the last time_.

"Let's go, kid," said the other guard. "You've got a cell in the dungeons with your name on it…"

It took the force of both guards to wrench Ganon from Zelda, and then one had to hold the princess back as she leapt for her fiancée. They tied his wrists behind his back and escorted him away from Zelda.

Ganon glanced back over his shoulder. What he saw was a woman standing tall and graceful in the moonlight. He shut his eyes for a second—when he opened them, he saw a seven-year old girl in exactly the same position. She was laughing and the sun was dancing on her face. He shut his eyes and opened them once more, and there was the beautiful sixteen-year old once more. Her lips were slightly parted and her cheeks were flushed with pink. Her hair fluttered in the breeze.

All they did was look at one another. One last time, their eyes met. "Zelda," he said, and she said, "Ganon."

And then a wooden door slammed shut between them, snapping the thread that had for so long bound their souls together.

**OMG. I must go angst about my Zeldorf feels.**

**You guys.**

**Just stop me because it's only going to get worse from here on out.**


	15. Boulevard Bedlam

**Your attention please! I mentioned this in an edit of the first chapter, but if you didn't see it, then I will let you all know—to view a larger version of the cover, hop on over to deviantart. It can be viewed under the username colleentj, the same name that I use on this site.**

**I am also in the process of posting the chapters up on deviantart.**

**Okay, so this is chapter 15. Chapter 16 (which I already have written) will be the last chapter and I will be putting that up this weekend.**

**Chapter 15:**

Starting at ten rupees apiece, here we have a gold ring the guards nicked from the gypsy's finger. A wedding ring, methinks? Ten, twenty, do I hear a thirty? Forty, fifty rupees- good _Din_, sir, eighty rupees for the ring alone? Eighty one, eighty five, ninety five rupees! Yes, sir, ninety five rupees! Anyone willing to outbid _that_? Going once… going twice… sold, for ninety five rupees!

Ah, next we have a set of pencils the housemaid took from the gypsy's room. Let's set the starting price at… shall we say… twenty five rupees? Thirty five, forty, fifty _five_! Do I hear a sixty? Ah, yes, good sir, seventy five, eighty, _one hundred twenty! _Yes, one hundred twenty rupees for the pencils—going once… going twice… sold!

My good fellows, take a gander at _this_! It is the crown jewel of our set: an amethyst necklace that looks to be quite valuable. But why was he carrying it? It must have belonged to his precious princess. Let's start at eighty rupees, yes? What's this, eighty five? Eighty eight? One hundred! One hundred ten, one hundred twenty, do I hear one hundred thirty? One hundred fifty! _Two hundred! _Do my ears deceive me? Two hundred ten, two hundred twenty, two hundred forty… two hundred sixty—going once… going twice… the amethyst necklace, sold for two hundred sixty rupees!

…

The courtroom broil had become a street-side bedlam, and Castle Town Market had become a battlefield. The fighting—the senseless, thoughtless fighting—had started and it wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. The reasons remained unclear. The first punch had been thrown over Ganon's trial. It had been fighting for the sake of reason. After awhile, all fantasies of reason had been cast aside in favor of fighting for the sakeof fighting. Rumor had it that four people had died already.

And they weren't the last.

The marketplace which had been so adored during the princess' and Ganon's childhood had become a living hell in the course of a single evening. Burning buildings framed the city. The wishing fountain had run dry. Graffiti bearing the Chilcott name coated the walls—_Avenge Robin_, the words said. _Avenge Robin Chilcott, Chilcott the Hero, Chilcott the Martyr. _The words, so twisted, so wrong, so uninformed, graced the streets like a call to battle. _Down with Ganon_, the walls cried. And—furthermore—_Down with Hyrule. Down with the Monarchy. Down with the Royal Family._

_ Down with Zelda._

What had happened? Why was the world this way? Why did Mayhem rule a once peaceful people?

The rebels ran amuck with kitchen knives, slingshots, rocks—anything that could be used for hurting. They slashed at the open air, hoping to land some target somewhere, although it didn't quite matter who met their knives. The aim was to destroy everything. The aim was to create enough chaos that somebody would fight back.

And when the monarchy didn't respond, when they didn't send out a legion of soldiers to pummel the crowds effortlessly, they took to fighting each other.

They didn't have a reason, but they thought they did.

A misconception here would be to believe that each of the townsfolk engaged in the pandemonium. On the contrary, most villagers bolted their doors and hid. For the most part, it was the youth—those who lacked experience, or discipline, or an understanding of structure. They were the ones who started fires, who kicked down doors, who stabbed because it felt good.

And of course, there were the auctioneers. There were a dozen of them spread about the town, some hidden on street corners and some on display in the middle of the plaza. They sent thugs out twice every hour to find Ganon's old belongings so that they could cast lots on them. An old, ugly man had stolen Ganon's engagement ring from his finger. It didn't sell for much, but it was rumored that whoever could find its partner—the one on Zelda's finger—would be given the key to the city, or something of that nature.

Castle Town Market had plunged into something much darker and colder than it had ever been before. It had become a ground for murder. Blood burnished the boulevard as the death toll increased. Bodies were pulled to street corners and left there. The woodworker locked his door and fashioned himself a coffin.

…

The fighting continued through the night until Castle Town had slaughtered itself. Corpses—at least thirty of them—filled the back-alleys. More bodies—these ones alive—curled up against curbs, or in alleyways, their houses having been destroyed. The combat withered down gradually until the morning arrived, gray and solemn.

Shutters were drawn in all the houses. Gray sheets were slung over the doors in the traditional signal for mourning. The ones who had sparked the wars had grown weary, and now they perched on rooftops and balconies and overlooked their work.

In the midst of it all was a dirty, newly-orphaned ten-year-old boy with jet black hair. His father and mother had both been slaughtered in the anarchy and now he fingered a switch knife. His expression was torn between grievance and dastardliness. He gazed over the destroyed town from his perch on the ruins of the old mask shop. After he'd grown bored of the sight, he hopped down nimbly and peeked inside of the ruined building.

The mask salesman was unloading the masks from his shelf and stuffing them into a large brown sack. Some of the masks were strung to the outside of the sack, as if being put on display. Then the salesman pulled the sack up over his shoulders and began a weary trudge out of the building.

The boy swung out of his way just in time, ducking off to the side as the mask salesman muttered plans to himself: to abandon this diminishing world of Hyrule and embark, instead, to set up shop in another land—Termina.

The boy crept behind the shop, squeezing between the brick wall and a rusty iron gate. He came upon the front lawn to an old, neglected building: the Temple of Time. Several families had taken refuge in the ancient chamber, but there was one man sitting all alone on the front steps.

He was the crazy man from Ganon's trial. The boy recognized him because of his green tunic. He approached him nervously and sat beside him on the steps.

"Hey, kid," the man commented.

"Morning, Mr. Link," said the boy. "I saw you at the trial. You were somethin' else."

"Seems like it, huh?"

The boy glanced at Link nervously. Link looked incredibly worn. The boy suspected he'd been crying.

"Did you fight?" the boy now asked.

"Nope."

"Oh."

"I tried to save this world. And I just destroyed it."

In all honesty, the boy felt a bit bad for Link. In the long run, he thought Link was quite an impressive man.

"My ma and pa were killed last night."

Link's face fell into his arms. He didn't remerge.

"Don't you feel bad?" Link finally muttered.

"Guess so," the boy answered. "I don't know. Lotsa people been killed."

"I know that. You don't have to tell me that."

"Well," suggested the boy, "maybe you oughtta just leave Hyrule. If you feel so bad, that is."

A shout came from the other side of the square.

"Ah, see here, a flute, Nicked clean from the castle!"

Link glanced up. The auctioneer was waving the Ocarina of Time above his head. Link stood up slowly and approached the man, who was already taking bids.

"Starting at three hundred rupees! Do I hear… three-ten? Three-twenty? Ah, yes, three hundred forty five."

"Six hundred," Link said dully. The auctioneer glanced up in surprise.

"_Six hundred?_ By the gods! Mr. Link!"

"Six hundred rupees," Link repeated.

"Going once?" the auctioneer began. A few of the bidders drew away. "Going twice?" Several more crept in the other direction. "Very well," said the auctioneer. "The flute, gone, for six hundred rupees!"

Link retrieved the ocarina gently, dropping his entire wallet into the auctioneer's hand. As he did so, he grasped the man's wrist firmly.

"_Stop stealing from the castle,_" he muttered menacingly. The auctioneer gulped and gave a single nod.

At about the same time, the old mask salesman crossed the city square. He was making a line straight for Hyrule Field. He almost looked like he was carrying his entire shop on his back.

_Maybe you oughtta just leave Hyrule. If you feel so bad, that is._

Link caught up with him. Making sure he had his sword, his shield, and his ocarina, Link fell into step beside the salesman?

"You going my way?" he asked. The salesman looked up and gave a curious grin.

"Have you ever heard of Termina?" he asked.

Link shook his head.

"Well then, my friend… you're about to."

…

And as for Zelda, she watched the kingdom fall apart, knowing there was nothing she could do.

She watched the sun rise over Hyrule Castle Town, looked at the buildings that were nothing more than shambles.

Then she turned away from the window to face her father, Impa, and Fraser Gunn.

They were all she had left.

_Sorry._

_Really, I'm sorry._

_I've been setting it up for a sequel, if I ever feel the urge to write one. I don't know whether anyone would read it, and even if they would, it'd be months and months before I'd start it._

_Basically, the sequel—and I'll give you a short summary here—would take place about twenty years after "Flowers Don't Grow," where a newly industrialized Hyrule is caught in a civil war. _

**NOW, IMPORTANT NEWS, EVERYONE: **

**THE LAST CHAPTER OF ****FLOWERS DON'T GROW IN THE DESERT ****WILL BE PUBLISHED THIS SUNDAY, JUNE 10****th****, **

_I know that was really intense but I just needed everyone's attention okay._

_Anyway, the story's ending, and I just want anybody who plans on finishing it up to know when to expect the update, so it won't be lost in the archives before anybody even knows it exists._


	16. Love, Your Zelda

**All right, here it is. I hope you will like the final installment of Flowers Don't Grow in the Desert.**

**Chapter 16**

Some nights seem longer than others.

Everyone on earth has passed at least one sleepless night, and everyone knows what it's like to spend hours in the same position, alert in mind and body, and yet shackled to the mattress all the same.

Everyone knows the length of that night.

_Now imagine that it's the last._

Imagine being in Ganon's position. Imagine laying on the damp, cold stone floor. Imagine the grime all around you; imagine your own hammering heart counting itself down. Imagine knowing that your next sunrise, your next meal, your next conversation, will be your last.

Yes, imagine being Ganon, clutching the bars to your cell and knowing that you have all but left this world. Imagine the brutality of being reminded that you'll never return. Imagine the pain, the disbelief, the overbearing feeling of loss.

Imagine being in Ganon's position. Now imagine it ten times worse.

And maybe you'll be halfway there.

Remember the thing you love most—a family member, maybe. A friend. Take each memory that you have with them and turn it over in your head. Think of every single time you took these memories for granted. If you were to never make any more memories again, would these memories still be worthless?

The answer, in Ganon's case, is no.

Each of these memories has suddenly become a lifeline.

Picture the beauty of a sunrise. Try to value it as much as Ganon does. You probably can't. Picture yourself in Ganon's shoes, begging the sun not to rise because you know that it will become your last day as soon as it does.

Consider the inevitability of death. It's something many people brush aside lightly from day to day because there simply isn't time to dwell on it. Now, put yourself in a place where suddenly you and death have come face to face. Everybody dies, but not always at the same time, or for the same purpose, or by the same means.

Envision all of the things you take for granted.

Realize suddenly that these are all of the things you have to lose.

Now you're in Ganon's place.

…

Despite the fact that it seems sometimes impossible, the sun always rises.

It was easily the longest night of Ganon's life. He had passed it with the rash, childish hope that it might last forever, so he might _live _forever. He felt foolish for thinking such thoughts and he told himself for the millionth time that they were thoughts he would have to cast aside.

He hadn't gotten any sleep all night, but he had pretended to, if only to entertain the guard on patrol. He'd been fettered to the wall by his wrists, which didn't—of course- allow much mobility.

A ways into the night, the old, limp man he shared a cell with had given a grunt and a wag of the head. Ganon glanced up dully. The man was looking at him with a keen eye.

"Can I help you?" Ganon finally asked, not unkindly but not altogether enthusiastic.

"Do you hear that fighting?" said the man. His voice was softer than Ganon had expected.

"Of course I hear it." And he did, too. The battle cries could be heard from miles away.

"Does it hurt you to see them destroy themselves?" the man asked.

"What kind of cruel question is that? Of course it hurts me."

The man sighed. "I've been in this castle longer than you have, boy. I've been here for twenty-two years. I bet you never even knew."

Ganon was quiet for a second. "No," he finally said. "No, I had no idea."

"Nobody expects you to," the man added. "And you were a kid. No, you weren't supposed to know we were all down here. You weren't supposed to know until you imprisoned somebody yourself. But look at you—you're not on the throne, are you? That's what we all expected."

"What are you saying?" Ganon asked with a decent amount of skepticism.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just saying—you _would _have ended up on the throne. Everyone expected it."

"And? What's your point?"

"Well, you're not. And since you're not, Hyrule's a power vacuum."

Ganon leaned against the wall with a huff. "What do you know about politics?" Ganon finally asked. The old man smiled toothlessly.

"My boy," he answered, "I don't know a thing about politics, but I know a lot about people. Hyrule's changing. People are getting new ideas. The world… it's going to be different. And you're going to be the one that changed it."

Ganon turned his gaze away from the man. "Yeah," he said. "And you're going to be the one to see it."

The man spoke very quietly next. "My dear boy, I may not be perfect, but I'm not stupid. You're going to see it, too."

Ganon glanced up again.

"What does _that _mean?"

"You're not going to die tomorrow," the man promised. Close to anger, Ganon lunged forward, but was caught on the chains that bound him back.

"Stop toying with me."

"I'm not toying."

"Then what gives you that stupid idea?"

The man didn't answer.

"Hey! What do you mean, I'm not dying? What do you—"

"OY!" the night guard had appeared at the cell. He rattled the bars a few times. "Shut it!"

Ganon took a few seconds to catch his breath, and then he fell back against the wall, sliding to the ground in a heap. The man on the other side of the room chuckled. Then, he grew still again.

When Ganon looked up again, the man was back in the position he had started in.

Ganon wondered whether the man had really spoken to him at all. It felt more like a vision than anything.

…

The sun rose between five and five-thirty in the morning. Ganon was dog tired and his face showed it, and yet he refused to sleep. He didn't want to waste a single second of the time he had remaining.

Around six o' clock, a guard rattled the bars on his cell.

"Get up!" the guard instructed harshly. Ganon glowered at him.

"I _can't _get up; _you chained me to the wall._"

The guard scowled back. Then he called another guard over, who unlocked the cell and accompanied him inside. One soldier held Ganon down while the other unchained him. They pulled Ganon up and cuffed his hands immediately. When he didn't even struggle, they looked at him in some confusion.

"Aren't you going to run?" one mocked. "Aren't you even going to fight back?"

Ganon didn't answer.

"Let's go, then," the guard said. "There's a wagon waiting for you outside. It's a long trip to the desert."

Ganon swept his eyes through the cell one more time, and then began the long, shattering trip up and out of the castle.

The guard count doubled to four soldiers, who surrounded Ganon as he walked. They ascended out of the dungeons into a castle lobby. They marched down a long corridor, passing the drawing room. Submerged memories of crashing through the window and telling Zelda he loved her—right in front of Robin Chilcott—for the first time resurfaced.

They passed through the dining room. Light was just beginning to come through the windows. Again, strange memories of the place remerged—Robin stealing a dessert glass, Zelda in a pretty lace gown, the king and queen descending the staircase in vibrant, flame-colored robes….

They ventured down another corridor. Ganon recognized the tapestry he and Zelda had hidden behind as kids. He recalled looping around corridors every now and again just to see catch a glimpse of Zelda walking by.

They turned the corner and crossed into the entrance hall, where another two guards joined the party. Ganon glanced around desperately for some last glimpse of the castle—something meaningful to hold onto for his trip—but saw nothing but the familiar portraits of old, stuffy gentlemen.

They were suddenly outside, and four more soldiers had joined in on the march. They were pressed shoulder-to-shoulder, forming a barricade around Ganon. His dismay at this was unbearable, for the wall they created blocked out all of the courtyard flowers—he couldn't see even one.

The march continued down the lawn, to the entryway, where a lone carriage was waiting.

It was wooden, and the windows were barred. The coachman swung the door open and forced Ganon in with the butt of his whip. Then he slammed the door shut again with a harrumph.

Ganon's hands drew automatically to the bars. He pressed his face against that small opening, getting that one last glimpse of Hyrule Castle—his home—against the sunrise, trying to take all of it with him and yet knowing he _couldn't. _His eyes scanned the scene one more time for Zelda, even though he knew it was useless.

The wagon was about to roll off when a voice commanded it to wait from the other side of the hill.

To Ganon's surprise, _Impa _came bounding over from the castle, waving something in her hand. She skidded to a halt beside Ganon's door and held out an envelope.

"From the princess," was all she said. Ganon stretched out a hand through the bars and clutched the envelope, drawing it to his chest in an almost greedy fashion.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you, Impa…"

He was shaking, and Impa had noticed. She took his hand through the bars.

"Do not be scared, my son," she said, and Ganon felt suddenly warmer and calmer. Her presence was soothing.

"I am scared," Ganon replied, and it sounded so childish, so rash, when he said it. He almost wanted to take it back. He asked—quietly—"Is it okay for me to go now? Have I achieved anything at all?"

"Have you?" Impa answered. "I think you have."

Their conversation ended there, as the coachman gave a crack of his whip and the horses started on their way. The wagon was slow at first, and Impa walked beside it. Ganon gripped her hand furiously as he moved, and she moved with him—soon she was running. The wagon hit a rut in the path and their hands fell apart, but Impa continued to run beside the wagon until she was sprinting. Their eyes remained locked until the wagon was too fast for Impa to keep up, and she was left behind in the dust.

And just as it had happened with Zelda, Ganon felt a part of himself left behind with Impa.

…

Return—however unwillingly—to Ganon's place. When you first stepped into that wagon, what were your thoughts? The entire thing was wooden with an iron frame. It was musty inside—it smelled a little of mildew, a little of sweat. The air was dense and hot.

Now that wagon is bumping along cobblestone streets. There are people pressed up against buildings, hidden in alleyways. The roadside is littered with signs of the previous night's destruction. Is this the apocalypse?

Is it?

The townsfolk that are around can see you rolling through town. Many of them are solemn, but a few of them are drunk and they jeer at you.

How would you respond? Would you be quiet? Would you jeer back? Would you _hide_? Or would you do what Ganon does—show them your _face_. Show it to them, wear your skin with pride, let them know that _they _did this.

You've been wearing those clothes for twenty four hours now. They reek of soot, of sweat, even of urine. When you put them on, it was just the start of another day. You and your kingdom have both been to Hell and back since the last time you changed.

As Ganon leaves Castle Town, you leave your home.

Ganon would pass the Mask Shop, the Back Alleys, the Bombchu Bowling Shop—the places that meant something to him as a child.

But picture yourself in _this _position—leaving _your _town for the last time. You pass the places that you were surrounded by growing up. Maybe the school, the church, the corner store. A friend's house, the park, the lake. The library, or City Hall, or the museum. Maybe you'd pass the parking lot where you first rode a bicycle. Or you'd pass the pond, where you had your first kiss. Or the baseball field, where you met your best friend.

Imagine the memories that would resurface _here—_if it were your own life you were remembering, knowing there was no more left of it to live.

And you are just like Ganon, asking yourself, "Have I done enough?"

Just like pardoning yourself from the dinner table:

"Am I done here? May I be excused?"

…

They were a ways through Hyrule Field when Ganon remembered the envelope.

He didn't know how he had forgotten about it. He had been so overtaken by his own thoughts and feelings that he had forced himself to brush everything else aside. Now he recalled the packet that Impa had thrust into his hands at the last minute. He fumbled for it in his jacket and tore it open.

Several pages slid out and landed beneath his feet. He scrambled to put them in order, craving Zelda's words and her consolation.

Perhaps this would make the journey more bearable.

It was a farewell letter.

"_Dear Ganon."_

Below it was written "_Dearest Ganon."_

And below that it read "_Ganon, my Dear."_

They had all been crossed out, and Zelda had instead opted for the greeting

"_Hey, you."_

He could picture her voice in the greeting. He could just imagine her soft tone, her unassuming composure, the tenderness she incorporated into her speech so casually.

"_Hey, you._

_I don't quite know where I'm going. I have so many things to say, although I'm quite sure none of them would surprise you..."_

He drank the words in, absorbed them, because he _needed _them.

The desert drew nearer.

He read her entire letter once through. It was several pages long. Then he read it again. And again. And _again. _This was all that was left of his idol in the world.

The desert drew nearer yet.

The wagon continued its rickety ride through the field. Ganon was reminded of the queen's funeral procession. It felt like only yesterday that the promenade of stagecoaches had cut across Hyrule Field in mourning of their beloved monarch. Now, Castle Town Market was caught in state of self-destruction as its would-be monarch was led to his death.

This was the desert. The wagon had rumbled over the border. They didn't cross through Gerudo Valley, but instead continued through the wastelands beyond it.

The journey after that seemed dull. Ganon couldn't remember most of it. But as the afternoon wore on, he glued himself to Zelda's letter, insistent on reading it, on memorizing it, on knowing it forwards and backwards.

…

"Out. Get out."

It was evening, now, and Ganon had been up for almost two days straight. He could feel his mind going in and out of a daze, but he fought sleep off like the devil. He would live these last hours of his life with a conscious mind.

Tired and disoriented, he stumbled out of the wagon, raising a cloud of dust when his feet hit the sand. Exhausted, Ganon fell immediately to his knees. Pain shot through him as the prison guards that had been waiting for him yanked him again to his feet.

They had approached a massive building. Sand blanketed the horizon as far as the eye could see. The building—a colossal arena, more like—had an inscription at its entrance. Four of the prison guards had surrounded Ganon, and one read the inscription aloud.

"'_Sidda icretebre.' _That means 'the Arbiter Decides.'" He turned to Ganon. "Welcome to the Arbiter's Grounds."

Ganon kept quiet.

His hands were locked behind his back. They had forced Ganon to leave Zelda's letter back in the coach, but he knew each and every word of it. Now, as they led him up the staircase to his execution, he recited the words in his head again.

_**Hey, you.**_

They passed under the archway and entered a covered passageway.

_**I don't quite know where I'm going. I have so many things to say, although I'm quite sure none of them would surprise you.**_

He could feel his heartbeat increase. Was he ready for this? Did he _feel _ready for this?

Should he be?

_**I have had time to think. For maybe the first time, too, I have thought— about you and I, about what is left—but mostly, I have thought about what is gone.**_

Am I afraid to die? he asked himself. For this first time, he considered the possibility of fear.

_**Did you realize, Ganon, that when we first met, it would end this way? I am led to believe that, somewhere, indeed you did. I can see now that you took every moment of ours and lived them like your life might end the next second. You modeled the world to suit us—appreciated what you had—did what you could.**_

Ganon took a second to recall his first meeting with Zelda. She had only been six when he first saw her. She was wearing all white.

He had mistaken her for an angel.

_**They always have.**_

Ganon turned into a long, winding corridor leading up to the execution chamber. Strands of orange light streamed in from between pillars. All was quiet, except for the orderly shuffling of the party's feet.

_**You told me fifteen years ago that flowers don't grow in the desert. To this day, I remember those words clearly. I've run them through my mind many times, trying to find a meaning to which I can fuse myself.**_

Ganon wondered where Zelda was now. What was she doing? Who was she with? He imagined her presence beside him. Closing his eyes for a second, he pretended that Zelda was walking beside him.

When he opened his eyes again, he could almost see her there.

_**I am sure, of course, that the words were meant just as you said them—that, in a desert, the air and ground are too dry to support any means of life. There were other meanings as well—that the greatest men must be given the means to achieve greatness, that love can only bloom when the environment can stimulate it to react, and that the damned can never achieve happiness.**_

He hoped with all of his heart that she would make friends, that she would be happy. He prayed that the kingdom would be prosperous for her sake. He prayed against the possibility of rebellion.

_**You said all of these things.**_

_**You just didn't realize it at the time**_

In all honesty, Ganon prayed that Zelda would fall in love again. He would be dead—why would it matter to him who she loved? Of course, he wanted her to always love him the best—and he had no doubts that she always would—but more than anything, he wanted her to have that same happiness that he had been granted for even a few precious days.

_**They are six of the greatest words I have ever heard, perhaps because we and those around us have lived bound to them. I can take these meanings and apply them to the people we have surrounded ourselves with. I can take the stories of their lives, pressed and pounded into the sands of time, and ask myself: what was their desert? What flowers were trying to grow there? **_

The corridor ended and Ganon was ushered into a large central chamber. It was magnificent. The circular arena was filled with sand. On one end of the chamber was a slab of stone. Facing it was a single mirror. The glassy, ebony surface was engraved with ornate designs.

_**I can remember the things they wanted and the things that kept them from having it. Like Robin, kept from a life with Anju because of his father's own wishes. Or Fraser, deterred from pursuing a friendship here because of his oath to his wife. Or even Link, who wanted nothing more than trust in the security of Hyrule, but held back from it because of our relationship.**_

Ganon couldn't help but wonder what the mirror was for.

_**Every person has their own deserts. We have had our own—that is no secret.**_

What a beautiful place to die.

_**And as you return to that barren landscape, remember this: the flowers that do not grow there are twice as plenty in Hyrule. In other words, every life has had its struggles and its hardships, but that is what has made all the good things even sweeter. **_

The prison guards shepherded Ganon over to the black sheet of stone. They bound his wrists high above his head in shackles. He remembered suddenly Zelda's nightmare.

_This was her dream_, he realized. _Her dream was a prophecy after all. She knew I would die all along._

_**That reminds me, tonight I prayed. I prayed that somehow the goddesses could save you from this fate. Maybe they will answer me. But if they don't, remember this- the life we shared—however short—was brilliant in our own way, and I don't regret a moment of it.**_

Reality started slipping away as Ganon felt himself drugged into a pool of memories. They washed over him like waves, each one replacing the last with surprising rapidity.

_**It is late, now. My candle is nearly out, and I only have a few minutes left to write to you. So remember these next words more than any of the others, for they are the ones I want most desperately for you to hear.**_

_So this is what it's like when people die_, Ganon realized._ This is what it's like when your life flashes before your eyes._

_**I was never the observant one out of the pair of us. The decisions I made were foolish, the words I spoke were youthful and empty. You were the bright one, you knew the inner workings of the world, and I left the thinking to you. Now, I must learn to think on my own—to make my own decisions—and it is a challenge I have accepted.**_

Six ghostly figures descended before Ganon. He glanced up wearily at each of them. They were aged—a few days older than infinity, if Ganon had to take a guess. They introduced themselves as the six sages, but Ganon wasn't really listening. He was drifting now from memory to memory. The words in Zelda's letter circulated automatically through his head.

_**I will make you proud. You have told me many times that I already do, and I'm sure that in some ways, I have.**_

He could hear her voice perfectly. He could really _hear _her saying the words she had written.

He clutched the vision of her standing beside him. As he glanced up, he _swore _she was standing there—right there—in front of him.

_**But in your radiance you have been my inspiration for everything I have done. The sun is jealous of your light—I have no doubts.**_

The sages asked Ganon about his last requests. Any last words, last wishes, last this, that, and the other thing?

_**And in the end…**_

Zelda's face flashed into Ganon's mind momentarily. All of a sudden the memories shattered and he was pulled back to reality. The words in the letter stopped running through his mind and for a second Ganon felt himself choke up.

_**In the end…**_

He could feel tears trying to break free, but he wouldn't let them out. He refused to cry. And he returned, with all of his effort, to the words in the letter.

_**In the end, there is only one thing that matters.**_

_**You.**_

A shining white blade entered his field of view. It hung in the air for a few seconds, mocking him, and Ganon just stared right back.

_**The things you have done.**_

The sages brought up Ganon's crimes. They scolded him for his crimes just the way Impa had scolded him as a child.

_**For my family.**_

He listened to them criticize crimes he had never committed.

_**For the kingdom.**_

Silently, he cursed this other version of himself, this alternate Ganon, who had torn down Hyrule.

_**For my father.**_

Maybe it was for the best that he be punished this way.

_**For Impa.**_

He had hurt Zelda at one point, even if he didn't remember it.

_**For yourself.**_

And Zelda was the last person in the world who should be hurt.

_**And for me.**_

Ganon deserved this. Why it had taken so long to realize this, Ganon didn't know. But now he understood fully.

_**Thank you.**_

He deserved this punishment. If he had hurt Zelda once…

_**Love—**_

Then maybe it was for the best.

_**and I'm pained, for this is the last time I will say it—**_

The sword spun once in the air before plunging into his chest.

_**love,**_

_**Your Zelda**_

* * *

_Floating…_

_Wandering…_

…_What was this place…?_

_He had been stabbed, but the pain wasn't there._

_All he felt was a great energy coursing through his veins._

_His mind was foggy. He couldn't think straight._

_The back of his hand burned as a searing pain shot up through the skin. He glanced at it almost curiously. A golden triangle had appeared there. What did it mean?_

_And then anger. Anger like he had never felt it before._

_Rage._

_Murderous rage._

_Unparalleled strength had housed itself in him. What malfunction was this?_

_He laughed without meaning to. His voice felt raspier. Crazier. He felt absolutely mad with power._

_First the right, then the left hand were torn free of the shackles. He lunged forward and strangled one of the sages. Its death was almost immediate._

_Then he turned to face the others, daring them to fight back. They watched in horror, trying to protect themselves._

_He ripped the sword from his body… waved it in the air triumphantly…_

_Anger… rage… venom contaminated his bloodstream._

_What was this power? So foreign, so bold, so… __**intoxicating.**_

_His thoughts blurred again, mixed with the thoughts of a madman. The last thing he remembered was a snapshot of somebody's face. But whose face?_

_A girl's. She had curly blond hair. A thin, fair face with a tiara. Long, slender ears._

_She was __**Hylian**__._

_Hylians. Bastard Hylians. Kill them all, they got you here!_

_But where __**was **__here? What had he done to be cast into this situation?_

_And all he could feel was that desire for more power._

_Something caught him by surprise then. The sword flew from his hand and the ornate mirror lit up. He was thrown backward into the slab of stone, but instead of making contact, he just kept falling, falling, falling…_

_He was swallowed by the portal. His physical form diminished and he could feel his spirit hover freely in this place. There was no light, only a dull, heavy twilight…_

_He needed to get back to Hyrule._

_He needed more power._

_And who better than __**she**__, the girl with the long ears, to give it to him?_

_He needed to get back to Hyrule._

_He needed to become king, just like they had said he would be._

_Wait… why was he supposed to be king again?_

_Oh, right. Because he had this power._

_And when he got there, he would punish every last Hylian bastard he saw. He would murder each and every one of them._

_Especially the girl in his vision. The one with the curly blond hair._

_With the tiara._

_What was her name?_

_Zel… Zelda?_

_Awful name._

_Yes. She would be the first to pay…_

...

It was a tragedy, really, what had happened to Ganon. He had spent so many years forming a benign character. He had fallen in love. And now, due to the corruption that power had given him, he had been cursed with a malady worse than death. He wandered that other realm for many years after the mirror cast him there, his mind overrun with demonic thoughts. Ganon had lost himself to the Triforce of Power, a relic that had been forgotten over time. He plotted his revenge on Hyrule with little knowledge that Hyrule had once been his home.

And his memories of Zelda, which he had built up so carefully, shattered with him. He became obsessed with making an example of her—surely _she _deserved to die more than the rest. Why else would he remember her face the clearest? His memories were so foggy and filled with unease that he assumed Zelda had done him some great evil for which she should be punished. Never once did it cross his mind that he might have loved her.

Yes, this was the sacrifice that had been made when Zelda wished for him to be saved from death. He had been empowered with immortality, but this had come with great consequence.

The days after his banishment to the Twilight Realm were the hardest of Zelda's life. She fought through them with all of the strength she could muster, with Impa, her father, and Fraser Gunn at her side. The people of Hyrule believed Ganon to be dead. Zelda was no exception.

She could not take the burden of the throne alone, and made the decision to marry Fraser. After years of dispute and controversy, Hyrule Castle finally had an heir: Fraser Gunn. (Fraser, being an esteemed politician, took the role of king with confidence and responsibility.)

The two took the throne side by side when Zelda's father passed away. Slowly, with the help of her family, the damaged queen started to heal.

But she had suffered one wound: she had grown solemn and tranquil. All her life she had lived to cause trouble and laugh. That part of her had died with her separation from Ganon, and what remained was an austere, war-torn woman whose soul had been ripped from her body.

Fraser loved her, though, with all of his heart. He never stopped loving her and he would be there for her every second that they lived. The pair had a long, difficult road ahead of them. They knew that they were in control of a kingdom that could turn on itself at any moment. And they were ready to accept that role.

And as for Impa, she stayed in her place—right at Zelda's side. She had grown with Zelda, had learned to love what Zelda loved, to treasure what Zelda treasured—and that would never stop.

One evening, she found Zelda sitting alone on the balcony outside the dining hall. Zelda was watching the river below with a stern, cold expression. She rarely ever smiled anymore.

"Is something the matter, your highness?" Impa asked. Zelda kept her eyes on the river.

"Impa, I'm… I'm going to have a baby."

Impa gave a small smile. "That is a cause for great happiness, my Queen. Why are you so upset, then?"

Zelda looked up. "I know it's shameful, but I wish… I just wish it was _his_. Ganon's." She turned away again. "Do you think I'll ever love Fraser like I loved Ganon? Answer honestly."

"I think you'll love Mr. Gunn as much as you allow yourself to."

Zelda nodded. "I suppose you're right," she said, but her tone was doubtful.

Impa sighed. "Come with me, your highness. Let's get you inside." She wrapped an arm around the young queen's shoulders and guided her through the doors, leaving behind an empty balcony where Zelda and Ganon had once stood.

_**End**_

To anyone who supported me on this piece: You've all been such an enormous help, and I thank you all from the very bottom of my heart.

As I continued to write, the story just kept getting bigger. I kept adding characters and the story kept extending itself.

I've worked harder on _FDG _than I've ever worked on _anything_. I pride myself in this piece, even though I know it definitely has its flaws. (Who knows how many calories I burned just by hitting the backspace button…?)

If you could just tell me what you thought of the whole thing—the story, the characters, the structure—in a review, it would be a huge help to me. It took me over a year to write only 16 chapters, and so a lot of this story was about developing as a writer.

I know that there are hundreds of better, longer stories on this site that didn't take the writers half as long to write, but this is something that really meant a lot to me when I was writing it. So much so that I have probably a lifetime's supply of _Flowers Don't Grow _headcanon stored in the back of my mind somewhere. (Maybe I'll post it sometime…) If I ever feel the urge to write a sequel and you think you'd be interested in reading it, let me know so I can PM you about it when the time comes.

Again, thank you so much for your support, whether it was through a single review, correspondence, or whether you supported me somewhere besides the Internet.

-ColleenTJ

(I will admit, this story might have stemmed from reading _Wuthering Heights _one too many times…)


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